During the Spanish Civil War, the International Brigade fought on the side of the government troops against General Franco's fascists. Around 3,000 Czechs and Slovaks also fought in the International Brigade. Some only for a few weeks or months, others from the beginning to the bitter end. When the war came to an end, the brigade was disbanded and the last fighters fled to France.
In addition to the soldiers of the International Brigade, many Republican Spaniards also fled to France. The French authorities set up several camps in the south of France for the unwanted but tolerated refugees, including in Saint Cypris, Argiles-sur-Mer and Gurs. The refugees were distributed among the various camps, whereby nationality was taken into account, which resulted in a group of Czechs and Slovaks forming in the Gurs camp.
The small letter to Jaro Nĕmec in Camp de Gurs is marked "Group Tcheque". The sender is M. Nĕmec from the Vacanees camp in the Calvados region. The item is franked with a French "free of postage" stamp, which remained uncancelled.
Due to the political situation in Germany and Czechoslovakia - the Spanish Civil War had ended in the spring of 1939 - the Czech and Slovak fighters were unable to return home. Some sought asylum in the Soviet Union and some remained in the camps. When the Second World War began in autumn 1939, these fighters were recruited by the Czechoslovakian government in exile and formed the first units of the Czechoslovak Legion in France. Stationed in Agde in southern France, they were given the French field post number 2197.
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Unless otherwise stated, all items presented were in the possession of an ArGe member at the time of publication.