Before it grew into the mega tourist resort that it is today Benidorm was a small fishing town sitting on the Northern tip of the Bay of Alicante. This strategic location meant that it had a key role to play in any potential sea-borne invasion of the Spanish Republic by combined fascist forces during the Civil War. Six bunkers, forming part of the Mediterranean Wall, were built in and around Benidorm. It was only recently that I found out that one of these, and a fraction of another, still existed when it was reported that the local PSOE were fighting to get them listed and protected. The bunker at the top end of Levante Beach is as extraordinary as it is surprising. It is possible that it has survived so well as it now supports the bar and terrace of the Hotel Nadal above. Thousands of tourists a year must pass over it without any knowledge of the anti-fascist history below their feet. At the other end of Levante, near the Municipal Offices, only the stairs of the other bunker remain and appear to be used now to access the beach. I wish the PSOE well in their efforts to get Benidorm's Republican history preserved and recognised. Apparently contemporary pictures of the town's bunker network still exist. I need to locate try and locate them.
