Diari de Guerra/War Diary (Andreu Caralt).-25/09/2013.-Fifty relatives and supporters of the U.S. and British volunteers enrolled at the XV International Brigade in the Battle of the Ebro discovered last wednesday a plaque in their honor in the church square of the Old Town of Corbera d' Ebre (Cataluña). It was the culminating act of a visit organized by the International Brigade Memorial Trust (IBMT), an anglo-saxon institution that oversees the international volunteers memory.
The celebration was held inside the church. The first to speak was the secretary of the IBMT, Jim Jump. "We hope this memorial will serve to disseminate future generations the heroism and sacrifice of the International Brigades. They were an example of international solidarity that fought against fascism and tyranny" Jump denounced, once again, the role of Western democracies -France and England- that days after the withdrawal of international brigades, in September 1938, signed a pact with Hitler and Mussolini that sentenced Czechoslovak democracy.
Also spoke the president of the Spanish Friends of the International Brigades (AABI), Vicente González who thanked, first, the presence of relatives of the brigade in Corbera d'Ebre. "Thanks for coming. As a result of biological laws, volunteers cannot come, and we can not touch them. Their solidarity is the largest example in the history of mankind. They were the people more altruistic we could imagine" defended. González referred also to the international monument erected by the AABI in Ciudad Universitaria (Madrid ) that has received all kinds of physical and legal attacks . "Despite the attacks, these people have lost the fight" he said .
The most emotional moment was the testimony of relatives of volunteers holding pictures of their fathers or uncles and explained briefly the story of his family .
The AABI member and translator, Almudena Cros, summed up with these poignant words the testimony of Mary Greening, daughter of brigade who recalled a letter from his father. "His father wrote: -The death rained from the sky. Dante had no to invent hell. Hell was here, in the Ebro. A fellow died, and had no land to bury him, only could just cover it with a few stones. In that momente said. -In 50 years I remember you! And indeed, after 50 years he wrote this testimony you just read Mary. His father died in 2003 at the age of 92 years".
Greening was one of the relatives who discovered the plaque, together with the director of the Memorial Democràtic of the Catalonia Government, Jordi Palou-Laverdós. The director repeatedly thanked the presence of relatives of those volunteers "who defended democracy. On behalf of the Government of Catalonia we appreciate it". Palou-Laverdós repudiated war as a solution to the problems and called for dialogue and negotiation.
The mayor of Corbera de Ebro, Antonio Álvare ,in his turn, described volunteers as men who defended the "freedom and equality of the people and democracy". "I expect that the placement of this plaque serves us not to forget their suffering". The city council received a contribution of 500 euros of IBMT for preserving the memory of the Battle of the Ebro .
The event included finally reading two poems , 'The volunteer ' of Cecil Day Lewis and 'Sierra de Cavalls and Pàndols' of Rafael Jornet , read by Juan Antonio Mountain.
After a fellowship meal, the IBMT placed a wreath at the last British battalion position prior to removal of the front of the battle of the Ebro, a place located in the same area of Corbera d' Ebre.