Tragedy in a Barcelona Bomb Shelter

Author Jordi Cantavella relates a Spanish Civil War story that occurred in the Sagrera neighborhood of Barcelona.

Catalan author Jordi Cantavella talks to the Catalunya Barcelona Film team about a tragedy in Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War.
Catalan author Jordi Cantavella talks to the Catalunya Barcelona Film team about a tragedy in Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War.
Catalan author Jordi Cantavella talks to the Catalunya Barcelona Film team about the Lincoln Brigade.

ENGLISH

My mother was born in December 1936. I believe, in 1938, one of the worst bombings took place. Back then, my grandmother lived in the Sagrera [neighborhood]. Wasted from exhaustion, she said, “Look if they have to kill us, let them kill us. I’m done.”

Two things happened. A bomb fell near their house, and a window shattered centimeters from my mother’s face. They hadn’t taken refuge in a [bomb] shelter. And that saved their lives, because that day, many people went to a shelter that wasn’t completed.

The stairs were made of mud. A flood hit. And the staircase dissolved away. When the people struggled to escape from this Sagrera shelter, everyone drowned.

CATALAN

Per part de mare, la meva mare era molt petitona. Ella va neixer al desembre del 1936. Aleshores va haver una vegada, que deuria ser l’any 38, que van ser els pitjors bombardejos que la gent estava tan cansada que.

La meva àvia, vivia en la Sagrera en aquella època. Una nit va dir: un altre bombardeig. Mira, si ens han de matar, que ens matin a tots aquí.

Però s’ha acabat van passar dues coses: que una bomba va caure molt a prop i la finestra va sortir volant i va passar a centimetres de la cara de la meva mare sort que era molt petitona. Però el fet de no haver baixat al refugi, això els hi va salvar la vida. Perquè molta gent aquell dia es van refugiar a un refugi que no estava del tot preparat i les escales estaven fetes de fang. Però va diluviar.

Aquell dia, les escales es van desfer, la gent va intentar sortir com va poder però tothom que va baixar al regufi aquell de la Sagrera, tothom va morir ofegat.