Love and war in the Pyrenees

I am currently reading ,"Love and War in the Pyrenees" by Rosemary Bailey. It describes the realities of the French experience of Occupation, the truth about Resistance and collaboration, the vital importance of the refugee routes across the mountains, and the heroic men and women who risked everything to help others escape. The wartime experiences of the region are still very much a veiled history. Although people now acknowledge that the role of the Resistance in winning the war was glorified way beyond its actual numbers or achievements, few are willing to admit the extent of the acceptance of the German occupation, of the Fascist ideals of the Vichy government and the degree of collusion, passive or active, that occurred throughout these war years. The world still knows little of the French concentration camps in the Pyrenees, the treatment of the Jews, the reaction to the Spanish refugees who fled across the border at the end of the Spanish Civil War and their role in the Resistance. Many of the archives remain firmly closed.

It was quite a coincidence, therefore, to be invited to our neighbour's house which has a history dating back 1000 years. They have spent two years clearing it out and have discovered many interesting things. Imagine my surprise when they showed me this newspaper from 1st February 1939 describing the very events I am reading about, the 'Retirada' from Spain following the Spanish Civil War, and the concentration camps that were constructed in this area.