On 26 April 1937 German bombers sent by Hitler destroyed the town of Guernica in the Basque country. It was a busy market day in the town and thousands of people were killed. A fund was set up in Wales to raise money for the Basque children.The events at Guernica led to four thousand refugee Spanish children arriving in Britain. Houses were set up for them in Caerleon, Swansea, Old Colwyn and at the Forestry camp in Brechfa. The video on this page is the section of the film that deals with the children who came to Brechfa. 

The Brechfa camp and the events that happened in Brechfa are by no means representative of the accommodation provided and what happened to the children who came to Britain. The Brechfa clip is presented only as an historical event relating to Brechfa. For those interested in knowing the whole moving story of the Guernica Children please follow the links provided below and make every attempt to see the full version of the film. 

The tragic events of 26 April 1937 are told in "The Bombing of Guernica" video on the Brechfa Video Page.

Thanks go to the following for allowing reproduction of this section of the film

Director/Producer - Steve Bowles

Video sequences © Steve Bowles

Stills

© Basque Children of '37 Association

©Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive - Cyril Arapoff

© Soibelman Collection, Visual Studies Worskshop, Rochester NY, USA