Remembering the Basque Children

This note from the Yorkshire Diary comes to show that not all English are Basque-phobes like Colin Davis:

City help for the children of war

Eric Drummond of Syke Lane, Scarcroft, read a tribute to the proud Hull tradition of remembering the Basque children in the Spanish Civic War.

But Eric says Leeds can also feel justly proud of providing a home for 30 children in a house at the end of Hill End Road, Armley, which had an open outlook across fields. That was before the land was covered by housing.

"The house was not only their home but their school," remembers Eric.

"My wife's grandmother was caretaker and her mother, and an aunt, used to bake buns and cakes every week for the children and I'm sure other Armley people contributed to the needs of these Basque children.

Paper lad

"I was a 12-year-old paper lad for Lindley's newsagents on Armley Town Street and Hill End Road was the last call on my paper round.

"Like all children the Basque ones were mischievous. After delivering my papers I would often return to find my bike 'missing' – it was being ridden up the road and I'd have to wait its return which I wasn't very pleased about at the time but those kids enjoyed their ride on my bike.

"It would be interesting to see if other people of Armley recall the unfortunate children who came to live among us."

It certainly would be a talking point, Eric. Watch this space.

It was nice what they did for those children, too bad the genocidal maniac Churchill decided not to live up to his promise that he would help to wipe Fascism off the face of Europe. But since he himself was a fascist, no wonder he decided to cut Francisco Franco some slack.

Now, if the English could all keep present in their minds the betrayal of the Allies against the Basques at the end of World War II, maybe they would start demanding a solution for the Basque issue, a solution that must include statehood.

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