There were mixed emotions from Gilbrator evacuees as they arrived on Jamaican shores. While some were happy to have escaped the turmoil, others were saddened by the fact that they might not see their loved ones again.

Published Saturday, October 26, 1940

1,100 EVACUEES NOW AT GIBRALTAR CAMP

First Batch Ended Long Voyage Yesterday

Jamaica yesterday became a haven of safety to 1,100 civilian evacuees from Gibraltar, key to the Mediterranean, the British fortress that has withstood frontier sieges for six centuries or more.

Four thousand miles away came these evacuees from the famous British stronghold of the Mediterranean.

They experienced 16 days of excellent weather in the dash from the war zone to sunny Jamaica. Hundreds of Jamaicans lined the waterfront. 

Thousands lined the streets through which the buses took the arrivals to the Mona camp and warmly welcomed them in a typical Jamaican manner.

History was made in the island as the ship steamed in with its human cargo, for it was the first close up this island has yet received the devastating European war.

Pathetic scenes were witnessed as these haven seekers from Gibraltar, mostly women and children, had their first greedy glimpses of the country, which they will make their home till Hitler is forever crushed.

Aged men and women - one Senora having just celebrated her 90th birthday - peeped out of portholes to see the people. Tears trickled down aged faces and young ones, too. Many of these people have left behind their sons, their husbands, their uncles, their brothers and their sweethearts to defend Gibraltar, who they may never see again.

"We know that Gibraltar will never fall into enemy hands,” one woman sobbed, “but we know that for some of us, too, there will never be a reunion with some of our loved ones.”

SEVERING OF TIES

For many of these people, it means their tearing away from their lifelong home. It means abandoning  their homes and possessions, their business and everything that they hold dear.

“Rule Britannia.” Sang the diving boys as they collected pennies thrown at them from the docks of the ship. The evacuees with their Moorish, Spanish and English background and 100 per cent pro-British political outlook, smiled and even joined in the famous patriotic song.

“We prefer to die before we give over one inch of Gibraltar to the Germans,” one businessman declared. “That is the spirit of the Gibraltarian. We are all definitely anti-Nazi.”

Of the 1,104 arrivals, 185 are males, 673 are females and 246 children under 12 years of age.

A large proportion of the male arrivals are aged men and comparatively young fellows still in their teens. The youngest arrival is a two-day-old baby, who was born in Caribbean waters.

The arrival of these people from 15,000 civilian population, reveal as splendid an organisation as can be desired in these difficult war days.

B. D. Austin Cathie, a retired registrar of the Supreme Court of Gibraltar, was in charge of the evacuees on sea. The inspector and sergeant and their families will take up residence at Mona, but the constables will return to the Mediterranean.

MET THE SHIP

Down at Port Royal to meet the ship were:  F.A. Rae, manager of the camp; the Very Rev. Fr. Feeney, father superior of the Roman Catholic Church and member of the Camp Gibraltar Committee; J.B.L. Taylor; Drs Gideon and Johnson and Landing Waiters of the Customs Department.

At the pier in welcome the arrivals and among those first to Royal Mall Line pier were Major Simms,  J.L. Worlledge, Capt. H. de B. Tupper, Inspector Langdon,  C. W. Varney and  naval, Police and Customs officials.

 

“What is our camp like?” Was the first question the evacuees asked Gleaner representatives when they boarded the ship. 

 

They were happy to learn that there will be modern conveniences to which they are accustomed.

Of course, the majority of the young people speak English and even some of the older ones.

English, they explained, was compulsorily taught today in Gibraltar schools. French and Spanish, they said, were also taught. They spoke Spanish, because Spain was so close to them and because of the 20,000 Spaniards that came over from the border every day to work as domestics and dock-yard bands. Messrs Worlledge and Taylor and others supervised for several hours  the evacuees getting of their buses. Members of the Transport Authority assisted in the direction of 15 buses that plied to and back from Mona. There were eight stretcher cases and they were taken to the Camp by the ambulance, the Kingston Fire Brigade cooperating also in taking off the arrivals.

PROTECTION EXCELLENT

The evacuees tell gripping stories of Gibraltar and its preparedness for the conflict. The 5½ - mile long by 3½ - mile wide fortress, some 1,400 feet above sea level, they say, is able to repulse any modern attack. Air raid shelters are all built in the rock. British civil engineers have drilled and blasted ton tunnels at strategic points.

With the country being free from debt and the people having fairly good credit balances in the banks, the wartime protection is excellent, deep bomb-proof shelters at the terrific price of some £100,000 giving complete protection to 15,000, even if enemy planes plastered Gibraltar with one and a half-ton bombs.

“Our morale and courage are peak high,” an ex-inspector of Civil Police stated. “We are firm in our conviction that Hitler and his aide, Mussolini, will meet their end in this war. It is the general opinion of the people in the Mediterranean that the Italians will play Germany a trick, as they had done in the last war.”

Miss Mary Deely, with an English background, and a schoolteacher who did A.R.P. work, spoke of the special defence work the men of Gibraltar are doing today. She is of the opinion that Spain will never fight with the Axis as the country was too poor. Of the 18,000,000 Spanish people, she said that 17,000,000 are pro-British.

“Spain will starve if she ever went to war,” she stated.

HAD DIFFICULT JOB

Thanks to Jamaica for her warm welcome, were expressed by Mr Austin Cathie, officer in charge of the evacuees on their long voyage to Jamaica.

Cathie, who has just retired as registrar of the Supreme Court of Gibraltar, undertook the task of managing the voyage to Jamaica, and all the evacuees which he did that job. He will leave Jamaica shortly for England.

“We must thank the people of Jamaica for their very warm welcome,” he said, "and I have just cabled to the governor of Gibraltar telling of our safe arrival and of the fine welcome we have received.”

Upon arrival, Mr Cathie rushed off to Camp Gibraltar, Mona, where he helped the local management supervise the arrival of the evacuees by bus from the pier and helped see to their comfort.

E.A. Rae, camp Manger; Very Rev. Father Thomas Feeney company of priests and nuns saw to the quartering and feeding of the evacuees as they arrived in busloads and had everything going efficiently by sunset.

 

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