REBEL ADVANCE STEMMED

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 128, 16 June 1937, Page 5

REBEL ADVANCE STEMMED

— Fresa Assn.—

9 Basques Continue to Hold Out THE FINAL ONSLAUGHT

(By Telegiapb-

Cop-r-.-ght.}

(Received 16, 9.55 a.m.) BILBAO, June 15. The Basques stemmed the rebel advance on Galdacano and the suburb of Begona * Senor Aguirre, President of the Basque Republie broadcast an appeal: "Basques! * Be worthy of your ancestors! Thousands of red-capped Carlists are massing on the roads north-east of the city for tlie final onslaught.' ' A Yalencta message states that the loyalist operations in the south are intended to relieve the Rebel pressure on Bilbao by diverting some of General Franco 's forces from the north, but up to the present they have not been successful The insurgents have captured Bilbao's radio station on Mount Archanda from which point they can look down on the city. The French Consul with his family and staff left Bilbao this afternoon aboard a warship. The British Consul has left Bilbao, also Santander, against which General Franco has opened a new offensive. The Daily Telegraph 5s correspondent at Larrabezua, five miles east of Bilbao, says that among the 2000 prisoners is Major Vallejo, Chief of Staff of thft "Iron Ring," defences. The Basque Ministry of the Interior announces that 20,000 women, children and men over military age are being evacuated from Bilbao to Santander by road in lorries and by sea in a, large fieet of steamers, trawlers and fishing boats. The British Navy's protection has been granted the latter in response to Senor Aguirre 's cabled appeal to Mr Anthony Eden, in which he asserted that the Nationalists were threatening to destroy the centre of Bilbao with a great force of aireraft and artillery. "We beg you to prevent such an atrocity oceurring before we have evacuated the civil population," said tAe appeal. "The Basque Gov.emment has decided to defend Bilbao at all costs. It promises to evacuate the civilian population in the shortest possible time- " ^