MadridMan,

Your question is a good one. What will happen, when there are no more survivors left? I've asked myself that question. I think that's why I've spent at least 1/3 of my time in researching the Spanish Civil War by talking to survivors from both sides. They are the only people who can tell us what really happened, from a personal point of view.

What totally surprised me was how many families were split by the war. I'd heard of it in the Civil War here in the US, but never heard about it from survivors. I listened as people talked about their families, and pointed out everyone if pictures, and what happened to them. Often, they'd skip past one or two people. "Who are these people?" I'd ask. "You don't want to know them. They are no longer family. They were on the other side." Families have been torn apart and remained that way since 1936. The pain just doesn't end.

Your Lady-friend's Mother is a treasure. She's seen the worst of it, and had to live with it, in fear not only for herself, but everyone she cared about. You should listen carefully to her stories. They will make you cry like I have, as people related the stories of their families to me. It doesn't matter if they were Republicans, Nationalists, or neutral. They all suffered the same.

Wolf