I was lucky enough to be in Alicante on a saturday morning in late May when the exhibition marking the 80th anniversary of the fall of the City to Franco's forces was on. Even luckier, the museum in the old fire station housing the display was open - something that you need to check in advance if you are planning a trip as the hours are seriously restricted now.
It was a beautifully created exhibition with some extraordinary contemporary artefacts and lovingly crafted displays. I found the work on the displacement of thousands of refugees, who had hoped for evacuation from the port side, to the holding area at Los Almendros before being transported to the concentration camp as San Isidro particularly moving. As was the long list of those who died immediately before and after the fall of Alicante - many from suicide as they knew what awaited them at the hands of Franco's thugs. There was a model of the Stanbrooke, the only ship to break the naval blockade and effect a limited evacuation, and I was just pleased to see that those involved in the historical memory work around the Civil War are still doing such great work.
