Cecil Bebb
Encyclopedia
Captain Cecil Bebb was a British
MI6 officer and freelance pilot
who flew General Francisco Franco
from the Canary Islands
to Spanish Morocco
in 1936, a journey which was to trigger the onset of the Spanish Civil War
.
At 07.15 on the morning of July 11, 1936, Bebb took off from Croydon Airport
, London
, in a Dragon Rapide aircraft, with a navigator, his friend Major Hugh Pollard
, and two female companions.
The flight log records that the aircraft was bound for the Canary Islands
. The purpose of Bebb's flight was to collect General Franco from the Canaries and fly him to Tetuán in Spanish Morocco
, at that time a Spanish colony, where the Spanish African Army was garrisoned.
Franco was recognized by the government in Madrid
as a danger to the Second Spanish Republic
and had been sent to the Canaries in order to keep him away from political intrigue. Had a Spanish plane flown to the islands, the authorities would likely have been alerted, but the British aircraft attracted little or no attention. Bebb and Franco arrived in Tetuan on July 19 and the general quickly set about organising Moroccan
troops to participate in the coming coup.
It is possible that British security services may have been complicit in Bebb's flight. Certainly his companion Pollard was an MI6 agent. The flight itself was planned over lunch at Simpsons
in the Strand, where Douglas Jerrold, the extreme right-wing editor of the Catholic English Review, met with the journalist Luis Bolín, London correspondent of the ABC Newspaper and later Franco's senior press advisor. Jerrold then persuaded Pollard to join the enterprise, and Pollard in turn recruited Bebb as pilot, plus his daughter Diana, and a friend, as "cover". It is not clear how much or to what level the British government knew about the activities of the secret services in aiding Franco. Britain remained officially neutral throughout the duration of the Spanish Civil War
.
ended, Bebb was awarded the Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Red Arrows. Many years later, in 1970, Franco conferred on him the Order of Merit
and the White Cross
, in a ceremony in Madrid
.
The aircraft that carried Franco to Tetuán in Morocco
, a DM89 Dragon Rapide (G-ACYR), was presented to Franco as a gift, after the end of World War II
, and is now displayed in the Aeronautics and Astronautics Museum of Spain
near Madrid
.
In a 1983 interview for the British television documentary The Spanish Civil War, Bebb stated that he had been approached by "a gentleman from Spain, who asked me if I was prepared to go to the Canary islands to get a Rif leader to start an insurrection in Spanish Morocco. I thought 'what a delightful idea, what a great adventure'".
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
MI6 officer and freelance pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
who flew General Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
from the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
to Spanish Morocco
Spanish Morocco
The Spanish protectorate of Morocco was the area of Morocco under colonial rule by the Spanish Empire, established by the Treaty of Fez in 1912 and ending in 1956, when both France and Spain recognized Moroccan independence.-Territorial borders:...
in 1936, a journey which was to trigger the onset of the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
.
Events of July 1936
Croydon Airport
Croydon Airport was an airport in South London which straddled the boundary between what are now the London boroughs of Croydon and Sutton. It was the main airport for London before it was replaced by Northolt Aerodrome, London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick Airport...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, in a Dragon Rapide aircraft, with a navigator, his friend Major Hugh Pollard
Hugh Pollard (Major)
Major Hugh Bertie Campbell Pollard was an author, firearms expert, and a British SOE officer. He is chiefly known for his intelligence work during the Irish War of Independence and for the events of July 1936, when he and his SOE colleague Cecil Bebb flew General Francisco Franco from the Canary...
, and two female companions.
The flight log records that the aircraft was bound for the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
. The purpose of Bebb's flight was to collect General Franco from the Canaries and fly him to Tetuán in Spanish Morocco
Spanish Morocco
The Spanish protectorate of Morocco was the area of Morocco under colonial rule by the Spanish Empire, established by the Treaty of Fez in 1912 and ending in 1956, when both France and Spain recognized Moroccan independence.-Territorial borders:...
, at that time a Spanish colony, where the Spanish African Army was garrisoned.
Franco was recognized by the government in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
as a danger to the Second Spanish Republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
and had been sent to the Canaries in order to keep him away from political intrigue. Had a Spanish plane flown to the islands, the authorities would likely have been alerted, but the British aircraft attracted little or no attention. Bebb and Franco arrived in Tetuan on July 19 and the general quickly set about organising Moroccan
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
troops to participate in the coming coup.
It is possible that British security services may have been complicit in Bebb's flight. Certainly his companion Pollard was an MI6 agent. The flight itself was planned over lunch at Simpsons
Simpson's-in-the-Strand
Simpson's-in-the-Strand is one of London's oldest traditional English restaurants. Situated in the Strand, it is part of the Savoy Buildings, which also contain one of the world's most famous hotels, the Savoy....
in the Strand, where Douglas Jerrold, the extreme right-wing editor of the Catholic English Review, met with the journalist Luis Bolín, London correspondent of the ABC Newspaper and later Franco's senior press advisor. Jerrold then persuaded Pollard to join the enterprise, and Pollard in turn recruited Bebb as pilot, plus his daughter Diana, and a friend, as "cover". It is not clear how much or to what level the British government knew about the activities of the secret services in aiding Franco. Britain remained officially neutral throughout the duration of the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
.
Legacy
Bebb himself was decorated by Franco in recognition of his services. In 1938, as the Spanish Civil WarSpanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
ended, Bebb was awarded the Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Red Arrows. Many years later, in 1970, Franco conferred on him the Order of Merit
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit is a British dynastic order recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture...
and the White Cross
White Cross
White Cross is a hardcore/thrashcore band from Richmond, Virginia. The core members were Mikey Rodriguez , Richard "Crispy" Kranmer , Rob Mosby and Dewey Rowell . They released one EP, one LP, one CD, and were featured on the national hardcore compilation, We Got Power...
, in a ceremony in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
.
The aircraft that carried Franco to Tetuán in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, a DM89 Dragon Rapide (G-ACYR), was presented to Franco as a gift, after the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and is now displayed in the Aeronautics and Astronautics Museum of Spain
Aeronautics and Astronautics Museum of Spain
The Aeronautics and Astronautics Museum of Spain, in Spanish Museo de Aeronáutica y Astronáutica o Museo del Aire, is a aviation museum located in the outskirts of Madrid at Cuatro Vientos Airport, Spain. The museum was founded in 1981 and offers 6 exhibition galleries and it has 130 aircrafts on...
near Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
.
In a 1983 interview for the British television documentary The Spanish Civil War, Bebb stated that he had been approached by "a gentleman from Spain, who asked me if I was prepared to go to the Canary islands to get a Rif leader to start an insurrection in Spanish Morocco. I thought 'what a delightful idea, what a great adventure'".
External links
- Article by David Mathieson at www.guardian.co.uk July 2006 Retrieved March 6, 2010
- Cecil Bebb at www.terrynorm.ic24.net Retrieved March 6, 2010
- Major Hugh Bertie Campbell Pollard at http://journals.cambridge.org Retrieved March 6, 2010
- Cecil Bebb interviewed at www.YouTube.com Retrieved March 6, 2010
- article on Bebb's flight to the Canaries at randompottins blog Retrieved March 6, 2010