Eastcliffe Basque Colony, Margate

Eastcliffe Colony, Margate - 5

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Four young men from Eastcliffe colony.

Awaiting a picture of the
house opposite the church.

Eastcliffe, Basque Children's Colony

Jose Luis Zubeldia.

The shelter
was near, so
I was lucky
to survive.

We were four boys and two girls in the family and our parents sent us over on the boat Habana to England because of the constant bombing of our town where we lived; Bilbao.

In fact, one day, whilst in Bilbao, my mother sent me on an errand to try and buy some food and as I walked down the street, the aeroplanes came and began dropping bombs. I ran to an air-raid shelter. The shelter was near, so I was lucky to survive.

Once in Stoneham Camp, we were moved, the six of us, to Clapton colony, which was run and sponsored by the Salvation Army. From there, after a few months, we were sent to Eastcliffe, Margate, which was a large house with a side and back garden.

The house was on the main road of the village and it took just about half an hour to walk to the seaside at Margate. We went to the seaside very often.

From a conversation with Joaquin Sanchez who is in the main colony picture at number 2.

1. ? , 2. Joachin Sanchez, 3. Fernando Sanchez, 4. ? ,
5. Jose Luis Zubeldia, 6. ? , 7. ? , 8. ? , 9. ? ,
10. De Pepita Duo, 11. ? , 12. ? , 13. ? , 14. ? , 15. ? , 16. Javier Sanchez, 17. Enrique Sanchez, 18. ? , 19. ? , 20. ? , 21. ? , 21. ? , 22. ? , 23. Venancio Zornoza,
24 ? , 25 ? , 26. Mario Zornoza, 27. ? , 28. ? , 29. ? , 30. ? , 31. Diego Manteca, 32. ? , 33. ? , 34. Hermona Zubeldia, 35. Pepita Duo, 36. ? , 37. ? , 38. ? , 39. ? , 40. ? , 41. ? , 42. ? , 43. ? , 44. ? , 45 ? , 45. ? ,
46. ? , 47. ? , 48. ? , 49. ? , 50. ? , 51. ? , 53. ? , 54. ? , 55. Doctor White, 56. Adela Nunez (nurse - sister of Joaquin Sanchez), 57. Senora Alvarez (teacher of assistant), 58. ? , 59. Senor Sanchez (teacher).

Please help us to complete the names.

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editor@spanishrefugees-basquechildren.org

Eastcliffe colony was a large house with three floors, not far from Margate. On the top two floors were the bedrooms and the toilets. Most of the bedrooms were small with just two beds to a room.

The boys had the rooms on the left part of tyhe building, the girls on the right.

The house, which still exists, is almost opposite an Anglican church.

The church helped raise funds for the upkeep of the children and thus were expected to attent prayers once a week. A little absurd, since the children, if religious, would have been roman catholic. However, no all attended once a week.

Taken from a conversation with Joaquin Sanchez.

Basque children at Margate

   Seventy-five Basque children, of ages ranging from six to fifteen and drawn largely from the Bilbao area, arrived in Margate by coach on Monday.
    The former nurses' home in connection with the L.C.C's Princess Mary's Hospital for Children, at Cliftonville, which has been unoccupied for the past 12 months, has now been rented by the Joint Committee for Spanish Relief, to make a temporary home for the children.
    Of the seventy-five, fourteen are girls.
    Whilst a number of boys in the adjoining room were busy fixing up beds and chatting merrily, Mrs. Hersant, who is in charge of the organisation in Margate, told the "East Kent Times" something of the work.
    "These children," she explained, "are being looked after purely for humanitarian reasons, and by members of all political creeds. There is no question of it being a left-wing movement. There has been a lot of misunderstanding. I am afraid, and a great deal of newspaper propaganda that has been entirely unfair.

"You would be surprised at the vivacity and high intelligence of many of the children. As you know we are supported in our work entirely by voluntary service and subscriptions. There is a scheme by which people interested pay 5s. a week, and, as it is called 'adopt' a child to whom they take a particular fancy. It is open to these people to correspond with the child and perhaps invite him or her out to tea on occasions."
Mrs. Hersant pointed out that to date Margate itself has not contributed to the cause either municipally or otherwise, it having so far been in the hands of the Joint Committee.
Mrs. Hersant's home is in Bedford, but she spent a great many years in Spain. She, unfortunately, is like a great many other workers on the staff, who have suffered from the revolution in Spain due to the fact that all their capital is in that country.

In the last paragraph, those letters and/or words which are in bold and underlines, indicate that they are missing from the original 'East Kent Times' newspaper article. An intelligent interpretation, however, has been made.

"...Margate itself has not contributed to the cause
either municipally
or otherwise..."

Mrs. Hersant (Margate colony organiser)

A group of Eastleigh Basque boys posing with their master, for the camera.

...the boys on the left,
the girls on the right...

Staff from Eastcliffe enjoying a day out at Margate seaside.

"These children,...are being looked after purely for humanitarian reasons..."

Mrs Hersant

A group of Margate boys practising carols for a Christmas party to be held December 1937.
I wonder whether they were practising in Spanish, or was it in English? What fun!