Luis Iriondo dies at age 100, one of the last witnesses of the Gernika bombing
- He died on Monday in Gernika, according to municipal sources. He was 14 years old when his people were bombed and he had to take refuge in a shelter. In his book El chico de Guernica reported the experience.
Luis Iriondo dies three weeks after his 100th birthday, on September 26. The sources of the City of Gernika confirmed the death, in which the City Hall paid tribute to Iriondo on its centenary. The people have lost one of the last witnesses to the bombing of Gernika.
On 26 April 1937, Iriondo was a 14-year-old boy who took refuge in a shelter to save himself from airplane bombs. In his book El chico de Guernica (2011) collected the memories of that time, and performed other works and actions in favor of historical memory. ARGIA collected in this article some excerpts from Luis Iriondo's memory, which read:
“For the first time I had news of the war on the beach. Soon after this we learned that some villages near Gernika were bombed, including Durango. This affected the citizens, who soon began to build shelters just in case. I was on everyone's lips. On April 25, for example, my friend Cipri told me that he had a shelter ready for a bombing and if he was running to go there.”
In addition, Iriondo was responsible for the painting and drawing school of the Gernika House of Culture for 55 years, well known in the town.
In this documentary by Alberto Rojo, bondardado de Gernika, one can also hear the testimonies of Iriondo, among others: Gernika, bombing.
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