Consorcio Militar, La Mola, St. Philip Castle
The surrender of Menorca in February 1939
Feb
The Surrender of Menorca was one of the last episodes of the Spanish Civil War. It took place on the island of Menorca, between February 4 and 9, 1939, when the military governor of the island and head of the Mahón naval base, Lieutenant Commander Luis González de Ubieta negotiated the surrender with a Francoist representative. thanks to the mediation of Great Britain, which also provided a warship so that the republican civil and military authorities of the island could abandon it before the arrival of the rebellious troops.
At 5 am on February 9, 1939, the British cruiser HMS Devonshire with 450 Republican refugees set sail from the port of Mahón to the coast of Marseille, once the garrison had been surrendered to Franco’s troops. The large group was headed by Rear Admiral Luis Gonzalez de Ubieta, head of the Mahón naval base and of all the island’s forces.
In addition, another 75 Republican refugees marched to Algiers on the Carmen Pico sailboat that left shortly after.
