Category: Children and the war

Life in Spain during the war was chaotic and perilous, especially for children living near main cities and combat zones. War brought destruction and separation from familiarity in the form of the physical destruction of cities and homes, the separation from family as a result of death or evacuation, and the destruction of everyday life and routine. Conditions associated with war and refugees included a lack of food, living in a constant state of danger, fear, and anger, and the loss of parents, friends, and security, which all contributed to lasting psychological trauma.

In main cities such as Madrid and Barcelona, bombings were frequent and unpredictable. Journalist Martha Gellhorn writes, “You would be walking down a street, hearing only the city noises of streetcars and automobiles and people calling to one another, and suddenly, crushing it all out, would be the huge stony deep booming of a falling shell, at the corner.” There was nowhere to run or hide from the bombings, as the next shell could fall anywhere.

The unpredictable nature of the bombings caused significant fear and insecurity for families living in combat zones. Even when immediate danger was not present, the sound of distant explosions would often produce fear symptoms in children.

For those living in main cities of bombardment, living conditions deteriorated rapidly and fostered the spread of disease and food shortages. Gellhorn describes the everyday chore of waiting for hours in food lines with no guarantee of receiving a ration: “Sometimes they are five blocks long. Sometimes you wait all that time but just before your turn comes the shop closes. There is no more food.”

Malnourishment, unsanitary conditions, and the threat of injury or death from bombardments contributed to an environment that was unsustainable and unsafe, both physically and psychologically, for children to live in. As a result, children and families were encouraged to evacuate.