The Spanish Civil War was a bitter conflict which divided the nation with tens of thousands of deaths and millions uprooted and destitute. The plight of the Basque people was particularly tragic. Following the bombing of the civilian population in the town of Guernica in April 1937 by the planes of the Nazi Condor Legion, public opinion was outraged.
The Basque government appealed to foreign nations give temporary asylum to the children of Guernica.
All the children were initially brought to one large camp and from there were split into “colonies” and sent to various parts of the UK. The old labour camp in Brechfa was reopened to house sixty boys.
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