On the eve of the 79th anniversary of the Torrevieja bombing by the Italian Fascist Air-force, in which 19 dead people were killed, 45 seriously injured and 200 others also hurt, but to a lesser degree, the Sueña Torrevieja spokesman, Pablo Samper, asked the Government if they were going to commission a monument in honour of the victims.
They were told that the only commemoration planned was the act of placing a bouquet of flowers in the access area to the Torrevieja port, as has been the custom in recent years.
Samper said that he was extremely disappointed as he felt that the torrevejenses who lost their lives or were wounded in the cruel bombardment by The Italian air force during the Spanish Civil War should be better remembered.
He said that the current government promised a monument at the same act of remembrance two years ago as a symbol that would serve as a reminder and a sign of recognition of the pain and of solidarity with the families affected.
Relatives of those who died and were injured have also called for a permanent monument to be erected to the fallen, and for as long as most can remember, those requests have been ignored or declined.
However the act of remembrance did take place as the mayor laid a bouquet of 19 white roses, one for each of the dead, of the attack which took place on 25 August 1938. He added that it still is the intention of the Government team to place a memorial, but that has not yet been erected for a number of different reasons.
Also present at the ceremony was Dolores Aniorte, who was 8 years old when the attack took place by the Italian squadron located in Mallorca. At that time her mother was queueing for food in the market although she was not injured. Dolores said that she remembered the day perfectly and that the sensation of fear troubled her for years every time she heard aircraft noise or sirens.
Of the 19 deaths, only one person was over 60 years of age, five were in their 30s. Of the rest, 8 were children, one of which was just 2 months old. Apart from three soldiers, all the rest of those killed were civilians. There were some families that lost up to three members during the attack.
