Spanish Interlude

IMG_5745

So what do you do if you find yourself in Malaga for the afternoon with nothing specific to do?  Head for the beach, I hear you cry.  Well, guess what.  I didn’t.  But I did find a couple of memorials which, although unsurprisingly not WWI related, you might find of interest.

IMG_5765

IMG_5767

IMG_5769

IMG_5748

This memorial commemorates Comandante Julio Benitez Benitez, commander of the Spanish garrison defending Igueriben in Morocco in 1921 against the Rif Tribesman of Abd el-Krim.  Benitez’ troops held out for several days against overwhelming odds before they were eventually overrun.  Only a handful of Spanish survived the action, and Benitez was not among them, but he is remembered here for his heroic actions during the defence.

IMG_5749

IMG_5751

Igueriben.

IMG_5753

IMG_5754

IMG_5752

IMG_5755          IMG_5762

Mother and kittens.  Because they’re very cute.

IMG_5758

IMG_5759

“Those of Igueriben die, but never surrender”.

IMG_5773

IMG_5760

IMG_5761

IMG_5772

IMG_5740

The magnificent Cathedral in Malaga…

…dare  I say it, maybe slightly over the top to my eyes…

IMG_5721

IMG_5739

IMG_5698

…has an interesting plaque on the wall near one of the entrances.

Now I was intending to show you the English Cemetery in Malaga (above & below)…

IMG_5795

…but it’s closed on Mondays, and what day did I go?

IMG_5796

So you’ll have to make do with the two lions (above & below) on either side of the gates.

IMG_5797

IMG_5813

Finally, this rather impressive monument remembers the 49 men who were summarily executed in Malaga in 1831 after General Torrijos’ aborted attempt to overthrow King Ferdinand VII of Spain.

IMG_5816

IMG_5834

IMG_5833

IMG_5838

IMG_5837

The memorial was erected just eleven years later, in 1842.

IMG_5831

IMG_5822

IMG_5828

IMG_5829

IMG_5824

IMG_5826

You will notice the name of a certain Mr. Robert Boyd on the panel above.  If you want to find out Boyd’s story then Google’s your starter for ten; suffice to say that in his final letter home he wrote, “Mark you that I die like a gentleman and a soldier – I am to be shot with sixty others in about an hour”.

IMG_5840

IMG_5820

020920133000

Robert Boyd is not only remembered on the memorial.  He is buried, by the way, in the English Cemetery.  Yep, the one that was closed.  Of course he is.

This entry was posted in Spain. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.