BRITAIN WILL PROTECT REFUGEES

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 458, 16 June 1937, Page 5

BRITAIN WILL PROTECT REFUGEES

FLIGHT FROM BILBAO BRITISH CONSUL’S NARROW ESCAPE Rescued By German J)estroyer Press Association —Copyright. (Received 12 5 p.m.) London, June 15. Britain has despatched to both Spanish parties a quadrilateral Note from England, France, Italy and Germany, regarding the naval patrol. Britain will undertake to protect refugees from Bilbao if they lire confined to women, children and aged hostages. The Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mr Anthony Eden, has ssnX the Basque Government’s appeal to Sir H. G. Chilton, British Ambassador at Henc>.ye, Asking him to tell General Franco that Britain hopes he will ndt destroy Bilbao before 'the town is evacuated.

A message from Bilbao- states that) the Basques have stemmed the Rebel adybnee at GaTdacano and the suburb

of Begona. The British Consul at Bilbao, Sir A. Stevenson, and the cable engineer, Rawlings, after signalling from the- beach alt Algort'a with a Handlamp during the small hours', attracted the attention of the German destroyer KempenfeKt. Rawlings Morse - signalled her through a dangerous channel, enabling her to lower a boat. A sentry spotted the manoeuvre and machine gun bullets whipped the sea as the two men went aboard. They later transferred from the Kempenfelt to the battleship Resolution, which landed them at Hendaye. Earlier dispatches from Bilbao state that the Basque Government has decided to defend the city at all costs. It promises Ito evacuate the civilian population in. the shortest possible time.

The Ministry of the Interior announces that 20,000 women and children and men over military age are being evacuated from Bilbao to Santunder by road in lorries, and by sea in a large fleet of steamers, trawlers and fishing ships. The British Navy’s- protection has been granted the vessels in response to the cabled appeal of the Basque Presidency Signor Aguirre, to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr Anthony Eden, in which he as-

serted the rebels- were threatening to destroy the centre of Bilbao with a great force of aircraft «and artillery.

“We beg you to prevent such an atrocilty occurring before we have evacuated the civil population,” Senor Aguirre said.