La Quinta Brigada #6 - Dignitat
La 5a Brigada
La Quinta Brigada
La Quinta Brigada #6 - Dignitat
La quinta brigada. Solidaritat contra el feixisme.
The fifth brigade. Solidarity against fascism.
Capítol 6. Dignitat.
Chapter 6. Dignity.
Capítol 7. Dignitat.
Chapter 7. Dignity.
Sembla que Bromista el van animar a prendre l'última decisió de la seva vida.
It seems that they encouraged Bromista to make the last decision of his life.
Premer aquell gatell.
Press that button.
Era maig del 1938.
It was May 1938.
80 anys després, una exhumació confirma el que explica Bill Sussman.
80 years later, an exhumation confirms what Bill Sussman explains.
William segueix enterrat al cim.
William remains buried at the top.
De mentir i de targa.
Of lying and of tart.
Recordem que Jaume Ramon coneix Alan Warren perquè ell forma part d'un grup de recreacions històriques
Let us remember that Jaume Ramon knows Alan Warren because he is part of a group of historical re-enactments.
i que inicialment va contactar amb ell perquè intervinguessin en uns actes d'homenatge
and who initially contacted him to intervene in some tribute events
que s'estaven preparant pel maig del 2018,
that were being prepared for May 2018,
on es farien una sèrie d'actes per commemorar el 80è aniversari de la seva mort
a series of events would be held to commemorate the 80th anniversary of his death.
i també de la Batalla del Segre.
and also of the Battle of the Segre.
Així que en aquest últim capítol intentarem respondre algunes de les preguntes
So in this last chapter we will try to answer some of the questions.
que encara fem.
that we still do.
Quins actes es van fer per la commemoració i com van anar?
What events were held for the commemoration and how did they go?
Es van fer noves troballes després dels actes?
Were there new discoveries after the events?
Va sortir informació sobre Juan Medina Palmero, l'altre brigadista enterrat al cementiri de Targa?
Has information about Juan Medina Palmero, the other brigadist buried in the Targa cemetery, come out?
Totes aquestes preguntes tenen resposta?
Do all these questions have answers?
Comença l'últim capítol de La Quinta Brigada.
The last chapter of The Fifth Brigade begins.
Tot lo bo s'acaba, però encara queda aquest capítol,
All good things come to an end, but this chapter still remains.
l'últim episodi de La Quinta Brigada.
the last episode of The Fifth Brigade.
Hi ha moltes coses per explicar. A veure si ens dóna temps.
There are many things to explain. Let's see if we have time.
De gener a maig s'acaben de preparar tots els actes que es celebren al cap de setmana,
From January to May, all the events that take place on the weekend are being prepared.
del 26 i 27 de maig del 2018,
from May 26 to 27, 2018,
sota el lema 80è aniversari de la Batalla del Segre.
under the slogan 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Segre.
El que s'entén com a Batalla del Segre és tota la sèrie de combats
What is understood as the Battle of the Segre is the entire series of combats.
que hi va haver a l'ofensiva que van fer els franquistes,
what happened in the offensive carried out by the Francoists,
que les forces de la República estaven situades a la zona de Casp,
that the forces of the Republic were located in the Casp area,
estaven a Casp, els altres estaven a la capital, Osca,
they were in Casp, the others were in the capital, Huesca,
estaven situades allà.
they were located there.
I hi va haver una ofensiva, i aquesta ofensiva es va materialitzar a finals de març del 38.
And there was an offensive, and this offensive materialized at the end of March '38.
I amb aquesta ofensiva els republicans van recular,
And with this offensive, the republicans fell back,
sent el front, la frontera entre unes forces i altres,
being the front, the border between one force and another,
el riu Noguera-Pallaresa, el Segre i l'Ebre.
the Noguera-Pallaresa River, the Segre, and the Ebre.
Com si, imagina't, una línia que la conformen tots aquests rius.
As if, imagine a line made up of all these rivers.
I aquí es van parar. No sabem si es van parar,
And here they stopped. We don't know if they stopped,
alguns militars aconsellaven al Franco que continués,
some military advised Franco to continue,
pel que fos per refers o perquè tàcticament va considerar que s'havia d'esperar.
for what it was worth in terms of references or because tactically he believed it was necessary to wait.
Pel que fos, es paren aquí.
For whatever reason, they stop here.
La gran batalla que ens ve al cap quan parlem de la Guerra Civil és la de l'Ebre.
The great battle that comes to mind when we talk about the Civil War is the Battle of the Ebro.
Per què la del Segre no és tan coneguda?
Why is the Segre not so well known?
Són combats que són més curts, per això no s'ha dit tant la importància que es dona a la Batalla de l'Ebre,
They are battles that are shorter, which is why the importance given to the Battle of the Ebro is not as well known.
perquè, com veus, són combats de tres o quatre dies, una setmana.
because, as you can see, they are fights of three or four days, a week.
Aquí al cap de pont és una setmana.
Here at the bridgehead it's been a week.
El que va haver-hi a l'abril són tres o quatre dies més i són combats molt intensos,
What happened in April are three or four more days and they are very intense battles,
però no tenen la madurada ni intervenen tantes forces com hi entraran allà.
but they do not have the maturity nor do so many forces intervene as will enter there.
En aquestes ofensives, per exemple, en aquesta del cap de pont,
In these offensives, for example, in this one of the bridgehead,
es calcula que en una setmana aproximadament van morir uns 3.500 soldats.
It is estimated that around 3,500 soldiers died in a week.
Es considera que la batalla, o les batalles del Segre, van començar a final de març.
It is considered that the battle, or the battles of the Segre, began at the end of March.
I l'ofensiva final comença a les vigílies de Nadal.
And the final offensive starts on Christmas Eve.
La batalla del Segre s'acaba el 23 de desembre.
The Battle of the Segre ends on December 23rd.
El 23 de desembre hi ha una ofensiva general, ja tenen situats els millors exèrcits del Franco,
On December 23, there is a general offensive; they have already positioned Franco's best armies.
estan tots situats aquí, a aquesta pinya divisora que formen els rius, preparats per ocupar Catalunya.
They are all located here, at this dividing cluster formed by the rivers, ready to occupy Catalonia.
Malgrat tot, van avançar per aquí, diguem, pel nord de Covells i atacant cap a la ribera del Sió,
Despite everything, they advanced from here, let's say, to the north of Covells and attacking towards the banks of the Sió,
van trobar més resistència de l'esperada, perquè Targa mateix no va caure fins al dia 15 de gener.
They found more resistance than expected, because Targa himself did not fall until January 15th.
Quinze dies i set o vuit dies de l'altre mes és moltíssim temps per agafar un tros de terreny molt petit.
Fifteen days and seven or eight days of the next month is way too much time to acquire a very small piece of land.
El general Dávila, que era el jefe de l'exèrcit del nord, que englobava aquests exèrcits que he dit abans,
General Dávila, who was the head of the northern army, which included the armies I mentioned before,
va rebre una reprimenda, segons diuen oficials mateixos del Franco,
he received a reprimand, according to officials of Franco himself.
del general Franco, perquè això no ha avançat.
of General Franco, because this has not progressed.
Finalment, són quatre els municipis que organitzen col·lectivament aquests actes.
Finally, there are four municipalities that collectively organize these events.
Targa, Camarasa, Meilcaire i Montgai.
Targa, Camarasa, Meilcaire, and Montgai.
L'exhumació, feta un mes abans, a l'abril del 2018, confirma la teoria que William Diggs va morir d'un tret al cap que es va disparar ell mateix,
The exhumation, carried out a month earlier, in April 2018, confirms the theory that William Diggs died from a gunshot to the head that he inflicted upon himself.
mentre bromejava amb Bill Sussman, un alt comandant de la quinzena brigada internacional.
while joking with Bill Sussman, another commander of the 15th international brigade.
L'altre, Juan Medina Palmero, mort de gutumel.
The other, Juan Medina Palmero, died of gutumel.
També es determina que es tracta d'un soldat jove d'entre 18 i 35 anys.
It is also determined that it is a young soldier between the ages of 18 and 35.
Es confirma, per tant, que els dos brigadistes segueixen enterrats dins els nínxols.
It is confirmed, therefore, that the two brigadistas remain buried in the niches.
Precisament aquest fet li dona més força i emotivitat a l'acte.
This fact gives more strength and emotion to the event.
Sortim amb tots els detalls pels actes del 80è aniversari.
We come out with all the details for the 80th anniversary events.
Els explica el Cesc Sarri.
Cesc Sarri explains it to them.
Els actes començaran el dissabte 26 de maig al matí al cementiri de Targa,
The events will begin on Saturday, May 26th in the morning at the Targa cemetery,
amb xerrada i homenatge als dos brigadistes internacionals enterrats.
with a talk and tribute to the two international brigadiers buried.
Tot seguit es faran dues visites guiades, una al Museu de la Guerra Civil de Miquel Aresté
Next, two guided tours will take place, one at the Miquel Aresté Civil War Museum.
i després al Museu Cal Trepat, antiga fàbrica de material bèl·lic.
and then at the Cal Trepat Museum, an old factory for war material.
A la tarda serà el torn de Camarasa,
In the afternoon it will be Camarasa's turn.
a més d'una visita guiada per les trinxeres del Merengue,
in addition to a guided tour of the Merengue trenches,
escenari on s'hi van viure unes batalles feroxes.
stage where fierce battles were fought.
També està previst fer-hi al mateix lloc un homenatge a la Lleva del Biberó.
It is also planned to hold a tribute to the Biberó generation at the same place.
El diumenge es faran actes a Bellcaire i Montgai,
On Sunday there will be events in Bellcaire and Montgai.
on s'hi visitaran també les trinxeres dels Tossals i la Font Amarga.
there will also be visits to the trenches of Tossals and Font Amarga.
També s'organitzarà un concert amb el grup Brigada Intergeneracional
A concert will also be organized with the group Brigada Intergeneracional.
i la projecció del documental El Merengue i la Lleva del Biberó.
and the screening of the documentary El Merengue and the Bottle-Feeding Takeover.
El d'avui és l'últim concert.
Today's is the last concert.
El d'avui és l'últim capítol.
Today's is the last chapter.
També és l'última vegada que la Carolina TV ens explica curiositats sobre una cançó.
It is also the last time that Carolina TV tells us curiosities about a song.
Si me quieres escribir és una altra cançó inspirada en la Batalla de l'Ebre.
If you want to write to me, it's another song inspired by the Battle of the Ebro.
La lletra parla d'una tercera brigada mixta,
The lyrics speak of a third mixed brigade.
la qual, cal aclarir, que no era cap brigada internacional.
which, it should be clarified, was not any international brigade.
L'adjectiu de mixta no significa que fos formada per homes i dones,
The adjective mixed does not mean that it was formed by men and women.
sinó diferents unitats de combat.
but different combat units.
Durant la Batalla de l'Ebre, la lletra de la popular cançó
During the Battle of the Ebro, the lyrics of the popular song
canviava en funció de les localitzacions dels combats.
it changed depending on the locations of the battles.
La versió més utilitzada és aquesta que canten els Canalles,
The most commonly used version is the one sung by the Canalles,
un grup de rock madrileny que va publicar la cançó l'any 2000.
a Madrid rock band that released the song in the year 2000.
Aquesta versió narra la feina feta pels enginyers republicans a la Batalla de l'Ebre.
This version narrates the work done by Republican engineers at the Battle of the Ebro.
Durant aquells enfrontaments, molts dels ponts claus que servien per creuar el riu
During those confrontations, many of the key bridges that served to cross the river
van ser constantment bombardejats per la Legió Còndor alemanya i l'aviació italiana.
They were constantly bombarded by the German Condor Legion and the Italian aviation.
La feina dels enginyers va ser vital per reconstruir-los amb la major rapidesa possible
The work of the engineers was vital to rebuild them as quickly as possible.
per tal de poder travessar el riu i mantenir la cadena de subministraments.
to cross the river and maintain the supply chain.
És un dia ennuvolat de maig, d'aquells que no saps si acabarà caient un xàfec
It’s a cloudy day in May, one of those days when you don’t know if a downpour is going to happen.
o sortirà el sol en pocs minuts.
Or the sun will rise in a few minutes.
L'ambient que respira el cementiri, a dos quarts d'onze, és una barreja de moltes emocions.
The atmosphere in the cemetery at half past ten is a mixture of many emotions.
Per una banda, es commemora l'aniversari d'uns actes que es van dur a terme a la ciutat
On one hand, the anniversary of some events that took place in the city is being commemorated.
justament aquells dies, però fa 80 anys.
just those days, but 80 years ago.
D'igual forma, culmina un projecte en el que diferents persones han unit esforços, il·lusions
In the same way, it culminates a project in which different people have joined efforts and hopes.
i moltes hores d'investigació, totes amb un interès comú, carregat de justícia i honestedat,
and many hours of research, all with a common interest, filled with justice and honesty,
du a terme un acte de dignificació i memòria històrica.
carry out an act of dignification and historical memory.
També es nota l'ambient, l'oxímoron que representa el fet de fer un acte reivindicatiu
The atmosphere is also palpable, the oxymoron represented by the act of making a reivindicative statement.
i de celebració en un cementiri.
And of celebration in a cemetery.
L'espai no transmet vibracions positives, però sí que desprèn l'aire de solemnitat
The space does not transmit positive vibrations, but it does exude an air of solemnity.
que demana l'ocasió.
that the occasion requires.
El fet de ser a un cementiri aporta un respecte que tothom s'autoimposa
Being in a cemetery brings a respect that everyone imposes on themselves.
i que fa donar més vigorositat a un acte on s'hi apropen prop de 300 persones.
and that gives more vigor to an event where around 300 people gather.
Els primers en arribar són alguns dels protagonistes, molt abans de l'hora de l'inici dels actes.
The first to arrive are some of the protagonists, well before the start time of the events.
S'hi reuneixen els diferents historiadors que havien aportat el seu gra de sorra en aquesta història
The different historians who had contributed their share to this history gather there.
i que intervindran en una breu xerrada durant l'acte.
and will participate in a brief talk during the event.
Alguns els hem sentit al llarg de tots aquests capítols.
Some we have heard throughout all these chapters.
Són el Jaume Ramon, el Vicent Font i l'Alan Warren.
They are Jaume Ramon, Vicent Font, and Alan Warren.
Aquest últim, el capdavant del grup de representacions històriques.
The latter, the leader of the group of historical representations.
Però també se'n reuneixen altres que, tot i no haver-los entrevistat,
But there are also others who, although they have not been interviewed,
van resultar molt importants perquè l'acte fos tot un èxit.
they were very important for the event to be a complete success.
Es tracta de, per exemple, la Núria Grau, que és membre de l'associació Batalla del Segre,
It is about, for example, Núria Grau, who is a member of the Batalla del Segre association,
o el Jaume Espina Gosa, director del Museu Comarcal de l'Urgell i del Museu de Cal Trepat.
or Jaume Espina Gosa, director of the Urgell Regional Museum and the Cal Trepat Museum.
Més tard, arriben representants de l'Ajuntament i membres de l'agrupament Escolta de Targa,
Later, representatives from the City Council and members of the Targa Scout group arrive.
que ajudaran amb l'organització dels actes.
that will help with the organization of the events.
Al cementiri també hi ha una càmera i un equip d'enregistrament,
There is also a camera and a recording device in the cemetery.
ja que es va decidir fer un documental audiovisual d'aquesta història.
since it was decided to make an audiovisual documentary of this story.
Documental que, per cert, podeu trobar si busqueu a la plataforma Vimeo
Documentary that, by the way, you can find if you search on the Vimeo platform.
Dos rams de flors, el títol del documental.
Two bunches of flowers, the title of the documentary.
A la tomba del tinent, ho havíem dit, quan es va treure del ninxo, hi havia dos rams de flors.
At the tomb of the lieutenant, as we had mentioned, when it was taken out of the niche, there were two bouquets of flowers.
És un petit detall que encara, o sigui, al cap de 80 anys,
It's a small detail that still, I mean, after 80 years,
vam poder veure que en el seu moment, quan es va produir el funeral del tinent,
we were able to see that at the time, when the lieutenant's funeral took place,
hi va haver algú que va dipositar dos rams de flors sobre el seu taüt.
Someone placed two bouquets of flowers on his coffin.
L'emoció de les paraules es notava a la petita atmosfera que es va crear,
The emotion of the words was felt in the small atmosphere that was created.
però també en les paraules i el seu to.
but also in the words and their tone.
No era un dia qualsevol, i el camí fins a arribar aquell dia havia estat llarg i complicat.
It was not just any day, and the journey to reach that day had been long and complicated.
Els germans Giribet, productors del documental Dos rams de flors, van enregistrar tot l'acte.
The Giribet brothers, producers of the documentary Two Bunches of Flowers, recorded the entire event.
Escoltem algunes de les declaracions que es van fer aquell 26 de maig.
Let’s listen to some of the statements that were made on that May 26.
Escoltareu al Vicenç, l'Alan, el Jaume i, per últim, a la Rosa Perelló, llavors alcaldessa de Targa.
You will hear from Vicenç, Alan, Jaume, and finally, Rosa Perelló, then mayor of Targa.
És un plaer estar avui aquí amb vosaltres per rememorar la història i la vida d'uns competents de la llibertat,
It is a pleasure to be here with you today to remember the history and life of some champions of freedom.
com són els homenatjats d'avui.
What are today's honorees like?
És avui un motiu de joia recordar-los, perquè la història no s'ha d'oblidar.
Today it is a reason for joy to remember them, because history should not be forgotten.
La seva lluita i el que van fer ells, que van venir voluntàriament, sense que ningú els obligués,
Their struggle and what they did, they came voluntarily, without anyone forcing them.
a lluitar contra un exèrcit feixista, que en aquell temps, si recordeu bé,
to fight against a fascist army, which at that time, if you remember well,
el feixisme estava planant sobre Europa i s'estava apoderant de mica en mica de moltes nacions,
fascism was looming over Europe and was gradually taking hold of many nations,
instaurant dictadures que, si no s'haguessin combatut, jo crec que encara estarien marcant el pas a hores d'ara.
establishing dictatorships that, if they had not been fought against, I believe would still be dictating the pace to this day.
Eren una força de xoc i, a més a més, molts van ser executats al moment de la seva detenció.
They were a shock force and, moreover, many were executed at the moment of their arrest.
I això hi ha molts testimonis que ho poden corroborar.
And there are many witnesses who can corroborate this.
No tots els brigadistes detinguts van ser executats, però tenint el 60 o 70% de probabilitats
Not all the detained brigadists were executed, but there was a 60 or 70% chance of it.
del moment que els agafaven a fusellar-los.
from the moment they were taken to be shot.
La guerra no és gloriosa, és una tragèdia per dos bàndols, però ara tenim l'oportunitat de recuperar la memòria
War is not glorious; it is a tragedy for both sides, but now we have the opportunity to recover memory.
de la Guerra Civil. Tres anys de misèria, d'hambre.
of the Civil War. Three years of misery, of hunger.
I tu tens memòries de cada família, d'avis, de besavis, i és important per a vosaltres recuperar la memòria.
And you have memories of every family, of grandparents, of great-grandparents, and it is important for you to recover the memory.
L'acte aquest que rememora aquesta tragèdia de la mort d'uns brigadistes internacionals a la nostra ciutat
The act that commemorates this tragedy of the death of some international brigadists in our city.
és un dia feliç perquè al febrer de l'any 2011 aquesta història va començar fa set anys,
it's a happy day because in February 2011 this story began seven years ago,
el febrer del 2011. Aquell febrer del 2011 el company Joan Trilla em va enviar un correu electrònic
February 2011. That February 2011, my colleague Joan Trilla sent me an email.
amb unes fotografies que havien sortit del... que havia tret d'internet de la biblioteca de la Universitat de Nova York,
with some photographs that had come out of... that I had taken from the internet from the library of New York University,
dels arxius de les brigades internacionals Abraham Lincoln, en la qual es reproduïen imatges de Targa,
from the archives of the Abraham Lincoln International Brigades, in which images of Targa were reproduced,
de Balaguer, de Mollerussa, Fondarella, Cervera, en les quals es veien, doncs, era com un reportatge
from Balaguer, from Mollerussa, Fondarella, Cervera, in which they were seen, therefore, it was like a report.
de les imatges que havien fet fa 80 anys un equip de fotògrafs de la brigada internacional Abraham Lincoln
of the images taken 80 years ago by a team of photographers from the Abraham Lincoln International Brigade
a les nostres terres. A partir d'aquestes fotografies, en les quals s'hi veien també unes quantes fotografies
to our lands. Based on these photographs, in which there were also a few photographs.
al funeral del tinent William Ditch, vam poder deduir, vam poder saber, conèixer, després de 80 anys d'oblit,
at the funeral of Lieutenant William Ditch, we were able to deduce, we were able to know, to learn, after 80 years of oblivion,
que en aquestes dos nínxols d'aquí hi havia enterrats, doncs, dos brigadistes internacionals.
that in these two niches here were buried, then, two international brigadists.
Va ser gràcies a aquestes imatges, ja fa 7 anys, que vam poder anar estirant el fil, llavors, els registres del cementiri,
It was thanks to these images, 7 years ago, that we were able to unravel the thread, then, the records of the cemetery.
l'arxiu, cròniques que determinats brigadistes, doncs, que vam anar descobrint, llibres, diaris, vam descobrir que sí,
the archive, chronicles that certain brigadistas, therefore, that we went on discovering, books, diaries, we discovered that yes,
que havien estat en aquestes comarques al maig del 1938 durant l'ofensiva que hi va haver al camp de Pont de Balaguer
that had been in these regions in May 1938 during the offensive that took place in the Pont de Balaguer area.
de la Guerra Civil i de tota la Batalla del Segre, que avui i demà, doncs, col·laborarà,
of the Civil War and of the whole Battle of the Segre, which today and tomorrow, therefore, will collaborate,
commemorem aquest 80è aniversari d'Espanyol.
We commemorate this 80th anniversary of Espanyol.
Aquests joves que van ser prop de 40.000, vull dir, no van ser quadregats, van ser 40.000 joves de tots els països del món
These young people, who were nearly 40,000, I mean, they were not organized, they were 40,000 young people from all over the world.
que van vindre a combatre aquí, doncs, va ser, diguem-ne, una tragèdia per tots ells perquè primer van vindre aquí
those who came to fight here, then, was, let's say, a tragedy for all of them because first they came here
a defensar els seus ideals, a defensar els seus valors per la llibertat, per la democràcia, per la república,
to defend their ideals, to defend their values for freedom, for democracy, for the republic,
però es van trobar, doncs, que la força de la guerra, la força del feixisme, la força armada, doncs,
but they found themselves, then, that the force of war, the force of fascism, the armed force, then,
per molt que tinguessin la raó, van veure que van sortir d'aquí derrotats.
No matter how right they were, they saw that they left here defeated.
Van sortir derrotats, però a part que sortissin derrotats i potser desanimats, el que no van perdre mai tota aquesta gent,
They came out defeated, but apart from being defeated and perhaps discouraged, what these people never lost was,
com deia també l'Alan, és la seva esperança. I és el que mai podem perdre. Mai podem perdre l'esperança.
As Alan also said, it is his hope. And it is what we can never lose. We can never lose hope.
Ningú no se la pot prendre. Com amb ells, tampoc els van prendre l'esperança.
No one can take it from her. Just like with them, they also did not take away their hope.
Un acte que té una vessant, jo penso, que molt emotiva. Ho comentaven els que m'han precedit en la paraula,
An act that has a very emotional aspect, I think. Those who preceded me in speaking mentioned it.
que molts hem viscut una mica més de prop o de lluny, doncs, si coneixem la història viscuda per tantes famílies,
that many of us have lived it a bit closer or from afar, since we know the history experienced by so many families,
la història d'aquests brigadistes internacionals que podem conèixer amb més o menys intensitat perquè tenim la consciència
the history of these international brigadists that we can know with more or less intensity because we have the awareness
del que eren.
of what they were.
I del que defensaven. I com la història al cap de 80 anys, encara existeix aquell sentiment que encara som per lluitar encara
And of what they defended. And how history, 80 years later, that feeling still exists that we are still here to fight.
per moltes llibertats de les que es defensaven 80 anys enrere.
for many freedoms that were defended 80 years ago.
És un acte de justícia el que fem avui, un acte de record. Quan m'explicaven, doncs, des del museu com havia anat
It is an act of justice that we are doing today, an act of remembrance. When they explained to me, then, from the museum how it had gone.
la inhumació dels ninxos del cementiri, la veritat és que se't posa una mica la pell de gallina.
The burial of the niches in the cemetery, the truth is that it gives you a bit of goosebumps.
Eren dues persones molt joves. N'hi ha un que potser avui tindria 99 anys, no? Tenia 18 anys o 20 anys.
They were two very young people. One of them might be 99 years old today, right? He was 18 or 20 years old.
Avui encara podria ser, en l'àmbit de la... Avui encara podria ser viure entre nosaltres. Tenim gent centenària.
Today it could still be, in the field of... Today it could still be living among us. We have centenarians.
I com 80 anys després la ciutat de Targa fa els homenatges, els recorda, perquè les casualitats de la vida van ser,
And how 80 years later the city of Targa pays tribute, remembers them, because the coincidences of life happened,
va fer que es morissin, morissin aquí a la nostra ciutat. I com deia, el seu moment, doncs, també se'ls va,
made them die, die here in our city. And as I said, their moment, well, was also taken from them,
se'ls va reconèixer i se'ls va fer un enterrament, doncs, el símbol de les flors és més que, més que digne.
They were recognized and given a burial, thus the symbol of the flowers is more than, more than worthy.
Durant l'acte, també ens vam recordar d'aquells que els hagués agradat venir, però no van poder.
During the event, we also remembered those who would have liked to come but couldn't.
I l'altra cosa relacionada amb la Conselleria de Relacions Institucionals és per recordar que avui probablement
And the other thing related to the Department of Institutional Relations is to remind that today probably
estaria aquí entre nosaltres el conseller Raül Romeva. I aquest conseller, i el nostre conseller, el nostre legítim conseller,
the counselor Raül Romeva would be here among us. And this counselor, and our counselor, our legitimate counselor,
i el nostre conseller, el nostre legítim conseller, i el nostre conseller, el nostre legítim conseller,
and our counselor, our legitimate counselor, and our counselor, our legitimate counselor,
no pot ser avui entre nosaltres. Que una persona d'uns valors humans, polítics, socials,
"Cannot be today among us. That a person with human, political, social values,"
i que ha estat sempre al servei de la pau, de la llibertat i de la memòria històrica, amb el memorial demostrat,
and that has always been at the service of peace, freedom, and historical memory, with the demonstrated memorial,
i amb totes aquestes, amb totes aquestes, amb tots aquests valors que representa, estigui avui a la presó,
and with all these, with all these, with all these values that it represents, be in prison today,
al nostre país, a casa nostra, és una justícia que hem de combatre, com ells van combatre també la injustícia del feixisme,
In our country, in our home, it is a justice that we must fight against, just as they also fought against the injustice of fascism.
i és el nostre deure sortir al carrer, perquè fins que ells no siguin lliures, nosaltres no siguin lliures. Gràcies.
And it is our duty to take to the streets, because until they are free, we are not free. Thank you.
La inauguració de les dues plaques amb els noms dels brigadistes als seus nínxols va ser el moment culminant de l'acte.
The inauguration of the two plaques with the names of the brigadists on their niches was the culminating moment of the event.
Per acabar, el grup de música marinada va acabar cantant algunes de les cançons de les brigadistes,
To finish, the marinada music group ended up singing some of the songs of the brigadistas.
de les cançons de les brigades internacionals. Potser alguna us sonarà.
of the songs of the International Brigades. Perhaps some will sound familiar to you.
Viva la quinta brigada, rumba-la, rumba-la, rumba-la,
Long live the fifth brigade, rumba it, rumba it, rumba it,
viva la quinta brigada, rumba-la, rumba-la, rumba-la,
long live the fifth brigade, rumba it, rumba it, rumba it,
que no es cobrirà de glòria,
that will not be covered with glory,
ay, caramela, ay, caramela,
oh, candy, oh, candy,
que no es cobrirà de glòria,
that will not be covered in glory,
ay, caramela, ay, caramela.
Oh, caramel, oh, caramel.
Música
Music
I, per suposat,
And, of course,
no podia faltar
couldn't miss
Viva la quinta brigada,
Long live the fifth brigade,
cançó on totes les persones assistents van acabar cantant i picant de mans.
song where all the attendees ended up singing and clapping.
Viva la quinta brigada,
Long live the fifth brigade,
no pasaran de place that mightn't fight,
they will not pass from a place that might not fight.
adelante is the cry along the outside,
forward is the cry along the outside,
let us remember them tonight.
let us remember them tonight.
Viva la quinta brigada,
Long live the fifth brigade,
let us remember them tonight.
Let us remember them tonight.
Viva la quinta brigada,
Long live the fifth brigade,
let us remember them tonight.
let us remember them tonight.
Una altra cosa no ho sabem,
We do not know anything else,
però estem segurs que les cançons que heu escoltat en aquest programa
but we are sure that the songs you have listened to in this program
no us les podreu treure del cap durant alguns dies.
you won't be able to get them out of your head for a few days.
Moltes gràcies.
Thank you very much.
La quinta brigada arriba al final,
The fifth brigade arrives at the end,
però això no vol dir que sigui el final d'aquesta història.
but that doesn't mean it's the end of this story.
Queden moltes preguntes per respondre.
There are many questions left to answer.
I qui sap si alguns testimonis o alguns documents que actualment resten en l'oblit
And who knows if some witnesses or some documents that currently remain in oblivion
algun dia veuen la llum i ens fan avançar més.
someday they see the light and push us forward more.
I què n'aprenem de tot plegat?
And what do we learn from all of this?
És una època que ens sembla tonyant en el temps,
It is an era that seems to be stagnant in time,
però per la història 84 anys són molt poc.
but for history, 84 years is very little.
I a més a més ens van influir i ens van marcar una mica a tots.
And besides, they influenced us and marked us a bit all.
A totes les generacions que van vindre després.
To all the generations that came after.
Per tant, creiem que és important que tot això es conegui com més bé millor.
Therefore, we believe it is important that all of this is known as well as possible.
L'acte que es va fer al cementiri és un dels actes més multitudinaris
The event that took place at the cemetery is one of the most attended events.
que s'ha fet aquí a Catalunya per les brigades internacionals.
What has been done here in Catalonia for the international brigades?
S'ha fet també alguna cosa allà a l'Ebre,
Something has also been done there at the Ebre.
però vam calcular que hi havia més de 300 persones al cementiri a l'acte.
but we estimated that there were more than 300 people at the cemetery for the event.
I ara ja és una cosa que...
And now it is something that...
La majoria dels que ho van viure ja n'hi són.
Most of those who experienced it are already gone.
Ara són els mateixos nets els que estan interessats en el que va passar.
Now it is the same grandchildren who are interested in what happened.
El que volen saber és el seu padrí, on va morir, per què va morir...
What they want to know is about their godfather, where he died, why he died...
Això, si mires a la xarxa que hi ha de gent que busca desapareguts i d'això,
This, if you look at the network of people searching for missing persons and such,
és corprenedor perquè hi ha moltíssims casos, eh?
It's overwhelming because there are countless cases, right?
I denúncies de gent que van matar familiars seus...
And complaints from people who had their relatives killed...
Però jo dic que és l'altra generació i això ens dona a entendre, doncs,
But I say it is the other generation, and this makes us understand, then,
que hi continua havent molt interès
that there is still a lot of interest
i que la gent de totes maneres vol saber més coses de les que sap pel que va passar.
And that people, in any case, want to know more things than they know about what happened.
Tu tens persones en cada poble,
You have people in every village,
que tens memòries orals, memòries de família...
that you have oral memories, family memories...
I per a mi és molt important per a les persones entendre la història.
And for me, it is very important for people to understand history.
No repetiria la mateixa història.
I wouldn't repeat the same story.
La ignorància és un desastre per a mi.
Ignorance is a disaster for me.
Cada persona té una història i ara tenim la història de William Diggs,
Every person has a story and now we have the story of William Diggs.
però crec que tenim molt, molt més històries sobre brigadistes aquí
but I think we have a lot, lot more stories about brigadists here
i també sobre espanyols i espanyoles, catalans i catalanes aquí,
and also about Spaniards and Spanish women, Catalans and Catalan women here,
sobre experiències de família.
about family experiences.
I és important recuperar les memòries.
And it is important to recover the memories.
Potser ara és més tard, no ho sé.
Maybe it's later now, I don't know.
I hi ha molta història desconeguda.
And there is a lot of unknown history.
Hi ha tot el patrimoni de les línies defensives que travessaven la L2,
There is all the heritage of the defensive lines that crossed L2,
que travessava Catalunya des d'Andorra fins a Baixa Cambrils,
that crossed Catalonia from Andorra to Baixa Cambrils,
que per les nostres contrades hi ha molts munkers amagats.
that there are many hidden monks in our lands.
És tot un patrimoni que cal preservar i caldria musealitzar
It is a whole heritage that must be preserved and should be museumized.
i caldria fer-lo visitable i recuperar-lo.
And it should be made accessible and restored.
Però bé, hi ha moltes coses a fer, hi ha molta feina a fer,
But well, there are many things to do, there is a lot of work to be done.
i hi ha moltes coses a fer.
And there are many things to do.
I hi ha moltíssimes, moltíssimes històries.
And there are countless, countless stories.
A mig termini hauria d'acabar realitzant-se el somni, el projecte,
In the medium term, the dream, the project, should end up being realized.
la idea d'un museu de la batalla del Segre.
the idea of a museum of the Segre battle.
Cal que recordem la batalla del Segre aquí, a les nostres terres,
We must remember the Battle of the Segre here, in our lands,
pel que deia al principi, per memòria històrica,
for what I was saying at the beginning, for historical memory,
perquè no es poden oblidar les coses.
because things cannot be forgotten.
Aquí va haver-hi una batalla que va durar nou mesos,
Here there was a battle that lasted nine months,
des de l'abril del 1938 fins al gener del 39,
from April 1938 to January 1939,
en el qual hi va haver prop de 300.000 persones aquí,
in which there were around 300,000 people here,
amb aquest front, soldats concentrats, en reserva, cuiners, hospitals,
with this front, soldiers concentrated, in reserve, cooks, hospitals,
i hi va haver tota una maquinària de guerra que s'hi va estar a temps
And there was a whole machinery of war that was there in time.
i que pràcticament ni jo mateix, fa deu anys, sabia que havia existit.
and that practically even I, ten years ago, did not know that it had existed.
I això que em considero una persona interessada per la història.
And this is considering that I consider myself a person interested in history.
Clar, hi ha tota una part de la nostra història completament desconeguda
Of course, there is a whole part of our history that is completely unknown.
i si no es fa a través d'accions institucionalitzant
and if it is not done through institutionalizing actions
aquests fets, com ara seria aquest museu de la batalla del Segre,
these events, such as this museum of the Battle of the Segre,
que aprofités tota aquesta magnífica col·lecció que té el senyor Aristè,
that he would make the most of this magnificent collection that Mr. Aristè has,
que aprofités aquestes petites històries que anem descobrint,
that we take advantage of these little stories that we are discovering,
això és el que cal avançar, que hi ha molta història de la guerra desconeguda
this is what needs to be advanced, that there is a lot of unknown war history
al nostre voltant.
around us.
Es va callar, per por, per altres constàncies.
He fell silent, out of fear, for other reasons.
Estava prohibit parlar de la guerra, o sigui, quan parlava de la guerra
It was forbidden to talk about the war, that is, when I talked about the war.
em callaven, o quan els grans em parlaven entre ells,
they silenced me, or when the adults spoke among themselves,
em deien que allò que hi ha que no hi ha.
They told me that what is there is what is not there.
Aquesta situació jo l'he viscuda.
I have experienced this situation.
I com jo, tothom diu el mateix, de la guerra no se'n parla.
And like me, everyone says the same, war is not talked about.
De la guerra no se'n parlava.
They did not speak of the war.
Però se n'ha de parlar.
But it needs to be talked about.
I aquí hem parlat sobre la gran història dels brigadistes internacionals
And here we have talked about the great story of the international brigades.
i el seu pas per targa.
and his passage through Targa.
Del tinent William Mitchell Diggs,
From Lieutenant William Mitchell Diggs,
a qui des d'aquí hem transformat amb l'element central d'aquesta història,
to whom we have transformed from here as the central element of this story,
en sabem moltes coses.
we know many things.
Però en desconeixem moltes més.
But we are unaware of many more.
No ha sigut possible localitzar el seu origen i els seus familiars.
It has not been possible to locate its origin and its relatives.
Fa uns anys es va proposar fer un reportatge sobre ell
A few years ago, a report about him was proposed.
i publicar-lo a alguns diaris o revistes de Nova Orleans,
and publish it in some newspapers or magazines in New Orleans,
però de moment el projecte no ha prosperat,
but for the moment the project has not progressed,
ja que encara avui en dia no està ben vist als Estats Units
since even today it is not well seen in the United States
el perfil comunista o anarquista
the communist or anarchist profile
que tenien els combatents de la XV Brigada Internacional.
what the fighters of the XV International Brigade had.
De qui desconeixem moltes més coses és de Juan Medina Palmero,
Of whom we know much less is Juan Medina Palmero,
del qui només podem fer-nos hipòtesis i jugar a imaginar-nos qui era,
of whom we can only hypothesize and play at imagining who they were,
tal com van fer el Jaume i l'Alan amb William Diggs
just like Jaume and Alan did with William Diggs
abans de trobar la informació necessària.
before finding the necessary information.
Sabem algunes coses del tot certes.
We know some things for sure.
Que un soldat va ser enterrat el 23 de maig de 1938,
That a soldier was buried on May 23, 1938,
que tenia entre 18 i 35 anys,
that was between 18 and 35 years old,
que va morir d'una malaltia
who died of an illness
i que la XV Brigada Abraham Lincoln,
and that the XV Brigade Abraham Lincoln,
formada inicialment per soldats nord-americans,
initially formed by American soldiers,
li va pagar el nínxol al cementiri de Targa,
he paid for the burial plot at the Targa cemetery,
des d'on encara descansa.
from where it still rests.
No podem fer més que preguntes i especulacions.
We can do nothing more than ask questions and make speculations.
Per què al seu enterrament no li van fer cap fotografia?
Why was no photograph taken at his/her funeral?
Potser perquè el rang de William Diggs era molt més elevat
Perhaps because William Diggs's rank was much higher.
i era més conegut?
And was he more well-known?
Per què la XV Brigada li va pagar el nínxol?
Why did the XV Brigade pay for the niche?
Potser perquè formava part activa del batalló?
Maybe because he was an active part of the battalion?
Potser perquè els va sobtar la mort d'una persona tan jove?
Perhaps because they were shocked by the death of someone so young?
Potser per la fatal jugada que li va jugar el destí?
Perhaps because of the fatal play that fate played on him?
És a dir, morir d'una malaltia al mig d'una guerra?
That is to say, to die from a disease in the middle of a war?
Potser havia fet algun acte heroic?
Perhaps he had done some heroic deed?
I per què no va acabar enterrat a una fosa comuna,
And why wasn't he buried in a mass grave?
com la majoria de morts d'aquella època?
like the majority of deaths from that time?
D'on era Juan Medina Palmero?
Where was Juan Medina Palmero from?
Sabem del cert que no era nord-americà,
We know for sure that he was not American,
ja que, a part que els cognoms el delaten,
since, apart from the fact that the surnames give them away,
no consta en cap arxiu de la XV Brigada.
it is not recorded in any file of the XV Brigade.
Era provinent d'algun país sud-americà?
Was he from some South American country?
O potser era un soldat espanyol?
Or maybe it was a Spanish soldier?
I ja posats a fer teories rocambolesques,
And since we're getting into outrageous theories,
es deia realment Juan Medina Palmero?
Was his name really Juan Medina Palmero?
O per algun motiu el van enterrar amb un nom fals
Or for some reason they buried him with a false name.
per protegir-lo de vés a saber què?
to protect him from who knows what?
En definitiva, qui està enterrat i per què?
In short, who is buried and why?
Al costat del tinent William Mitchell Dick?
Next to Lieutenant William Mitchell Dick?
Let us remember them tonight.
Let us remember them tonight.
El guió d'aquesta història?
The script of this story?
Es va començar a escriure durant els mesos de confinament.
It started to be written during the months of confinement.
Va ser durant aquella època d'aïllament físic i social
It was during that time of physical and social isolation.
que em va donar per rescatar la famosa història dels brigadistes internacionals.
that inspired me to rescue the famous story of the international brigades.
Per dos motius, sobretot.
For two reasons, above all.
Primer, que va ser una història que em va anar captivant
First, it was a story that captivated me.
a mesura que avançaven els descobriments.
as the discoveries progressed.
Segon, perquè sempre vaig pensar
Second, because I always thought
que aquella era una història que no calia afegir-hi gaire pirotècnia
that it was a story that didn't need much pyrotechnics added to it
com per escriure's i que captés l'atenció d'altres persones.
as for writing it down and attracting the attention of other people.
Hi ha diferents coses que, per temps o per guió,
There are different things that, due to time or script,
no s'hi han pogut afegir.
they haven't been able to add to it.
Altres, perquè algunes novetats sortien a mesura que avançava el guió,
Others, because some updates emerged as the script progressed,
a temps real.
in real time.
Per posar un exemple, ara, si entreu a la pàgina web de l'Alba
For example, now, if you enter Alba's website
recordo que això no és una història de ficció
I remember that this is not a work of fiction.
i que tot el que he explicat ha passat,
and that everything I have explained has happened,
veureu una nova informació que no es comenta al llarg del podcast.
You will see new information that is not discussed throughout the podcast.
Consultant a la base de dades el nom de William Dick's
Consulting the database the name of William Dick's.
hi surt que, efectivament,
it turns out that, indeed,
va morir d'un tret al cap que es va fer ell mateix.
he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Però Alexander Zurek,
But Alexander Zurek,
que és qui va escriure el fragment que està publicat avui en dia a la web d'Alba,
who wrote the fragment that is published today on Alba's website,
explica el com.
explain how.
Un com que, si bé no és incompatible amb el que diu Bill Sussman,
Once that, although it is not incompatible with what Bill Sussman says,
no és ben bé el mateix.
it's not exactly the same.
Zurek diu que un dia
Zurek says that one day
estava debatent sobre el suïcidi amb uns quants oficials.
I was debating suicide with a few officials.
Un, deia que era un acte de covardia.
One said it was an act of cowardice.
L'altre,
The other,
que era un comportament impropi d'un comunista.
that it was an improper behavior for a communist.
De sobte,
Suddenly,
William Dick's va aparèixer al mig de la conversa amb To Burleta i Rea Ller.
William Dick's appeared in the middle of the conversation with To Burleta and Rea Ller.
El suïcidi és molt simple.
Suicide is very simple.
Sabeu com es fa?
Do you know how it's done?
Poses la pistola sobre el cap i...
You put the gun to your head and...
En aquest punt,
At this point,
diferents oficials el van advertir.
different officials warned him.
Vigila!
Watch out!
La pistola podria estar carregada.
The gun could be loaded.
Tot i els advertiments,
Despite the warnings,
ell va respondre rient.
He replied laughing.
No està carregada.
It is not loaded.
I de sobte,
And suddenly,
va premer el gallet i...
he pulled the trigger and...
Alexander Zurek no s'explica una mort tan estúpida com aquella.
Alexander Zurek cannot understand such a stupid death as that.
I més,
And more,
per part d'un soldat ple de vida com era William Dick's.
on the part of a soldier full of life like William Dick's.
Era extrovertit, sí,
He was extroverted, yes,
però també un molt bon oficial.
but also a very good officer.
Com pot ser que cometés aquest error?
How could I have made this mistake?
Zurek deixa un escletxe per pensar que,
Zurek leaves a crack to think that,
tot i que és altament improbable,
although it is highly unlikely,
allò podia haver estat realment un suïcidi.
that could have really been a suicide.
Per una cosa que ningú coneixia.
For something that no one knew.
Encara que el més probable
Although the most likely
era que hagués estat un tràgic i a la vegada estúpida accident.
It was that it would have been a tragic and at the same time a stupid accident.
Qui sap si,
Who knows if,
d'aquí un temps,
in some time,
podem fer un altre capítol d'aquest podcast.
we can do another episode of this podcast.
Una espècie d'epíleg
A kind of epilogue
explicant que ja s'han trobat familiars de William Dick's.
explaining that relatives of William Dick's have already been found.
O que, finalment,
Oh what, finally,
s'ha trobat informació al gaspi sobre Medina Palmero.
Information about Medina Palmero has been found in the gaspi.
O que ha aparegut un altre brigadista enterrat al cementiri.
Or that another brigadista has appeared buried in the cemetery.
Bé,
Well,
en aquest cas,
in this case,
potser podríem fer un podcast sencer.
Maybe we could do a whole podcast.
En fi,
Well,
esperem que us hagi agradat molt la història que m'ha explicat
We hope that you really enjoyed the story that I told you.
i que, a partir d'avui,
and that, starting today,
sapigueu que,
know that,
en aquest món,
in this world,
una vegada,
once,
hi va haver milers de joves que van fer un acte de solidaritat irrepetible.
There were thousands of young people who carried out an unprecedented act of solidarity.
Van arriscar la seva vida
They risked their lives.
per combatre el feixisme.
to combat fascism.
Uns joves a qui mai, mai, mai
Young people whom never, ever, ever
oblidarem.
we will forget.
Tu ja saps,
You already know,
no és un conte ni un somni tampoc.
It is neither a tale nor a dream either.
La veritat
The truth
és història i un trist retorn.
it is history and a sad return.
Milers de joves vinguts per a un motiu ben clar.
Thousands of young people have come for a very clear reason.
Intentar vèncer l'imperi del terror i la por.
Trying to overcome the empire of terror and fear.
I una espurna de llum
And a spark of light
per vèncer la fustor.
to overcome the rage.
I una espurna de llum
And a spark of light
per vèncer la fustor.
to overcome the anger.
Voluntat
Will
contra bales
against bullets
i foc dels canons.
and the fire of the cannons.
Aturar
Stop
tropes d'infàmia i humiliació.
tropes of infamy and humiliation.
Homes i dones
Men and women
de més de cinquanta orígens diferents.
from more than fifty different origins.
Tots fem força
We all make strength.
sota la frase del
under the phrase of
No pesaran!
They won't weigh!
Fins tant em va gdy!
See you soon!
El virus facha...
The fascist virus...
Del treinta a sis,
From thirty to six,
a novembre de l'any trenta-vuit
in November of thirty-eight
Brigadistes Internacional!
International Brigadists!
Guió i narració
Script and narration
Miquel Ramón
Miquel Ramón
Edició del programa
Program editing
Col·laboradors del programa
Program collaborators
Cesc Sarri, Andreu Boswell, Jaume Ramon i Joan Ferrer
Cesc Sarri, Andreu Boswell, Jaume Ramon, and Joan Ferrer
i amb l'ajuda de tot l'equip de Radio Targa,
and with the help of the whole Radio Targa team,
Gemme Pèris, Gemme Carseller, Vanessa Leiva, Ramon Pugener i Aleix Cruz.
Gemme Pèris, Gemme Carseller, Vanessa Leiva, Ramon Pugener and Aleix Cruz.
Tots fem força, se'n tal no passaran, tots fem força, se'n tal no passaran.
We all stand strong, they will not pass, we all stand strong, they will not pass.
Lluna es porna de llum per vèncer la foscor.
The moon is a source of light to overcome the darkness.
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