John Skeats served as a seaman abroad HMS Blanche during the period of the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. In his account, he relates of the rescue of survivors from the Spanish ship, Canarais, and the appearance of the Spanish ship, Jaime Primero in Gibraltar after the crew mutinied and the subsequent refusal by the authorities for it to enter the harbour. He goes on to provide an account of a secret mission at Cartagena, where agents were infiltrated into Spain.

Copyright Imperial War Museum Ser 208 / IWM 018007R02

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IWM Reel 2 Part 1 (14 mins 25 secs)

IWM Reel 2 Part 2 (14 mins 40 secs)

Skeats, John Goldup – transcripts