26th June 1937 refugees Basque children being given toys in Watermillock, Bolton, UK. In 1937, during the Spanish civil war, a group of almost 4,000 children were evacuated from Bilbao to England.
The children left for Britain on the steamship the Habana on 21st May 1937. Each child had been given a cardboard hexagonal disk to pin on his clothes with an identification number and the words ‘Expedición a Inglaterra’ printed on it. The ship, supposed to carry around 800 passengers, carried 3840 children, 80 teachers, 120 helpers, 15 catholic priests and 2 doctors. The children were crammed into the boat, and slept where they could, even in the lifeboats. The journey was extremely rough in the Bay of Biscay and most of the children were violently seasick“The colonies were set up all over the UK, mainly in England and Wales. Generally there was tremendous goodwill towards the young refugees and many local people gave their time and money to help ensure the success of the colonies, many taking the young niños into their homes. Not all colonies, though, were successfully run, not all the children were made welcome, nor did all the niños behave like angels. But overall the colonies were a success and a testament to the generosity and humanity of the British nation (sic). Here