Pepita Laguarda Batet
Pepita Laguarda Batet (1919–1936)[1] was a Catalan militant anarchist.[2] In 1936, after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, she was incorporated into the libertarian ranks without having yet reached adulthood. She died in Uesca at the age of seventeen, fighting against the nationalist forces that controlled the city.
Pepita Laguarda Batet | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1919 Barcelona,  Catalunya |
| Died | September 2, 1936 (aged 16–17) Granyén, Uesca,  Aragón |
| Allegiance |  CNT-FAI |
| Service | Confederal militias |
| Years of service | 1936 |
| Unit | Ascaso Column |
| Battles/wars | Spanish Civil War: |
Biography
Pepita Laguarda Batetlived was brought up in the industrial district of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, just south-west of Barcelona. She joined the anarchists when still young and against the opinion of her family. Thus, she had to escape from her home in order to take up arms. In July 1936, she joined the militants in the fight against the military uprising in Barcelona. On August 19, together with her boyfriend Juan Lopez Carvajal, she enlisted in the Ascaso Column and left for the Aragon front.
On September 1, she was seriously injured in the early morning while fighting near Uesca. When the wounded were removed from the front, the nationalist fire was directed at the Red Cross post. Laguarda was transferred first to the Vicién hospital and later to the Granyén Blood Hospital, where she died on September 2 at 9:30 a.m.[1][3] Juan López Carvajal was the one who wrote the letter notifying the press of the death.[4][5] The chronicles of the time describe her as an enthusiastic and courageous personality, who at all times knew how to maintain integrity and presence of mind, even on her deathbed.
References
- Heath, Nick (February 26, 2016). "Laguarda Batet, Pepita (1919-1936)". libcom.org. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
- Llopis, Enric (February 18, 2016). ""Mujeres libres", anarquistas y feministas". Rojo y Negro (in Spanish). CGT. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
- Gabriel Cardona (1986). La batalla de Madrid. Historia 16. ISBN 978-84-85229-96-3.
- Bellpuig, Jaime (September 13, 1939). "Nuestras Heroinas" (PDF) (in Spanish). Solidaridad obrera. p. 7. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
- Millán Muñío, María Angeles; Peña-Ardid, Carmen (2007). Las mujeres y los espacios fronterizos. Zaragoza: Prensas Universitarias de Zaragoza. ISBN 9788477338871.