Pepita Inglés (1910 - 18 April 1937) was an

anarcho-syndicalist Anarcho-syndicalism is an anarchist organisational model that centres trade unions as a vehicle for class conflict. Drawing from the theory of libertarian socialism and the practice of syndicalism, anarcho-syndicalism sees trade unions as both ...

fighter and member of the

Durruti Column The Durruti Column (Spanish: ''Columna Durruti''), with about 6,000 people, was the largest anarchist column (or military unit) formed during the Spanish Civil War. During the first months of the war, it became the most recognized and popular mil ...

during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

. Her code name was Rosario. She died on the Aragon Front in 1937 in a confrontation with fascist troops.

Early life

Pepita Inglés was born in

Cartagena, Spain Cartagena () is a Spanish city belonging to the Region of Murcia. As of January 2018, it has a population of 218,943 inhabitants. The city lies in a natural harbor of the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula. Cartage ...

in 1910. She had little schooling, having to go to work at a young age but was keen to educate herself. She moved to

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

with her partner, Mariano Sanchez, and the couple had two children..

Spanish Civil War

Inglés took part in street battles from the very beginning of the

, following the nationalist uprisings of July 1936.. On 24 July, Inglés and Sanchez joined the

to fight on the

Aragon Front The Aragon Offensive was an important military campaign during the Spanish Civil War, which began after the Battle of Teruel. The offensive, which ran from March 7, 1938, to April 19, 1938, smashed the Republican forces, overran Aragon, and c ...

, leaving their children in Barcelona to be cared for by family. Known as ''Columna Durruti'' in Spanish, the column was a military unit composed of c. 6000 men and women, the largest

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

column formed during the

. Led by

Buenaventura Durruti José Buenaventura Durruti Dumange (14 July 1896 – 20 November 1936) was a Spanish anarchist revolutionary involved with the CNT and the FAI in the periods before and during the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939. Durruti played an influe ...

, it became the most recognised and popular military organisation fighting against

Franco Franco may refer to: Name * Franco (name) * Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 * Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître" * Franco of Cologne (mid to late 13th cent ...

in the early stages of the war. It was seen as a symbol of the

Spanish anarchist movement Anarchism in Spain has historically gained some support and influence, especially before Francisco Franco's victory in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939, when it played an active political role and is considered the end of the golden age of cl ...

and its aims to create an egalitarian society through both individualism and collectivism. On 19 July, she took part in the fighting on the streets of Barcelona and on the 24th she left with the Durruti Column for the Front of Aragon, marching with other women such as Palmira Jul, Azucena Haro and

Émilienne Morin Émilienne Léontine Morin (29 October 1901 – 14 February 1991) was a French anarchist activist, journalist and stenographer. Born into an anarcho-syndicalist family, she joined the French anarchist movement at an early age, going on to wri ...

. She became friends with Durruti's secretary, Pilar Balduque. When the Durutti column reached the road leading to

Pina de Ebro Pina de Ebro is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population ...

, the fascists bombed them from the air and Sanchez was killed. At this point some of the members of the militia decided to return to Barcelona but Inglés chose to remain and joined the tank corps of the Column, driving armoured vehicles. Lola Iturbe recorded that "Pepita was tiny and very lively". Known by the codename "Rosario", a report by the Civil Guard in Pina described her as "she has glasses, is dark, small and plump". Inglés took part in the battles of Perdiguera (Zaragoza) and in the mountains of

Villafría Villafría is one of fifteen parishes (administrative divisions) in Pravia, a municipality within the province and autonomous community of Asturias, in northern Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, South ...

(Burgos) and later fought in the attempt to capture Quinto (Zaragoza) on 19 November 1936. In April 1937, she was part in the attack on the Santa Quiteria hermitage, a strategic point at the top of the

Sierra de Alcubierre Sierra de Alcubierre is a long mountain range in the Monegros comarca, Aragon, Spain. It is located between the provinces of Zaragoza and Huesca. Geography This mountain chain crosses the arid eastern end of the Monegros comarca from northwest t ...

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have aris ...

that controlled communications with Tardienta in

Huesca Huesca (; ) is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon between 1096 and 1118. It is also the capital of the Spanish Huesca (province), ...

). Advancing in front of the main body of the column, Inglés came across a group of Francoist soldiers who shouted to her that they wanted to change sides and desert. She approached them but it was a ruse and she was captured and driven back to the enemy lines at bayonet point. Her comrades in the column were unable to rescue her. Atrocities were regularly committed against prisoners of war and

women in the Spanish Civil War A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional uteruses ...

were frequently subjected to rape and torture when captured or imprisoned. Lola Iturbe recorded that one of comrades, realising the torture and death that awaited her, ran towards the fascist parapet and threw a bomb. When the smoke cleared, he, the fascist soldiers and Inglés were dead. An alternative version of Inglés' final moments was recorded in his memoirs by Edi Gmur, a Swiss militia man in the column who wrote that Inglés "the only woman fighting at the time in his military unit" was taken prisoner on 18 April 1937 having stood in front of the rifles of her comrades, when they heard the fascist soldiers shouting. Her comrades did not trust the situation and wanted to shoot and the rebels took advantage of the situation to shoot her and take her prisoner. The next day, a deserter brought the news of Inglés' execution and her glasses. He reported that she had been ordered to shout "¡Arriba España!", but shouted "¡Sois unos hijos de puta!" (you sons of bitches) at the fascist officers, and was shot at that moment.

References

Bibliography

* * Lola Iturbe, ''La mujer en la lucha social y en la Guerra Civil de España'', Editores Mexicanos Unidos, México, 1974, 220 p. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Ingles, Pepita 1910 births 1937 deaths People from Barcelona People of the Spanish Civil War Women in the Spanish Civil War Women soldiers Spanish women of the Spanish Civil War (Republican faction) Spanish anti-fascists Confederación Nacional del Trabajo members Spanish republicans Spanish anarchists Spanish trade unionists Spanish military personnel of the Spanish Civil War (Republican faction) Spanish military personnel killed in the Spanish Civil War (Republican faction)