Concha Pérez Collado facts for kids

Concha Pérez Collado (born October 17, 1915, in Barcelona – died April 17, 2014, in Barcelona) was a brave Spanish woman who believed in anarchism. This is a political idea where people believe in living without a government or strict rules, working together freely.

Concha was involved with important worker groups like the CNT and later the CGT. She started her activities when she was only 17 years old. When the Spanish Civil War began in July 1936, she was part of a group ready to fight. She fought in Barcelona and Aragon. Later, she moved to a refugee camp in France, where her only son was born.

Around 1942, Concha returned to France. She later opened a shop with Maurici Palau that also served as a secret meeting place for anarchists. After the death of Francisco Franco, a dictator, she became more openly involved in community events. Concha Pérez Collado passed away in 2014. She was one of the last women from her generation who fought in the Civil War.

Her Early Life

Concha Pérez Collado was born on October 17, 1915, in Les Corts, a neighborhood in Barcelona. Her father, Juan Pérez Güell, had six children. Concha was his third child. Sadly, her mother died from tuberculosis when Concha was only two years old.

Her father was an anarchist, and he spent time in prison for his political beliefs. Because of this, Concha could not go to school as a child. In her early teenage years, she started working in a workshop that made printed materials. By the age of 16, she left this job. She then became involved with two community centers: Ateneo Libertario Faro and Ateneo Agrupación Humanidad. These were places where people could learn and discuss ideas, especially about anarchism.

Concha was a strong believer in anarchism. In 1932, she joined the Federación Anarquista Ibérica (FAI), which was an anarchist group. The next year, she was at a protest outside a factory. She was arrested with a friend for carrying a weapon. After being released from prison, she worked in carpentry. She kept this job until the Spanish Civil War began.

Fighting in the Civil War

When the Spanish Civil War started in July 1936, Concha Pérez Collado was ready. She already had access to weapons. She was part of an anarchist group that expected a military uprising. They trained with weapons to prepare for the conflict.

In the first days of the war, Concha was part of a group called Los Aguiluchos de Les Corts. This group had 100 armed fighters from her Barcelona neighborhood. Only seven of them were women. Soon after the war began, Concha helped attack the Model Prison. Their goal was to free political prisoners. Later, she was part of a group that took control of a convent. She also helped build barricades in her neighborhood in Barcelona.

With other anarchists, she rode in a pickup truck with four guns. They went to the Pedralbes Barracks, where they fought and managed to get more weapons. After this, her group went to Caspe on the Aragon front. In Caspe, she joined the Ortíz column. She went with her new unit to Azaida. Her unit stayed in Azaida until they moved to attack Belchite on August 24, 1936.

She stayed on the Aragon front for four more months. Then, she went to Huesca. Starting in December, she was part of a group of women fighters, called milicianas in Spanish. They fought in the Tardienta sector. By the end of the year, these women were moved away from the front lines. Concha returned to Barcelona to work in a factory that made ammunition.

Back in Barcelona in May 1937, Concha was hurt while patrolling near Plaza de Catalunya. A piece of metal got stuck in her leg. It stayed there for several years. In December 1938, when Barcelona was captured, she left for the border. She found herself in the Argelès refugee camp. There, she volunteered as a nurse. She met a doctor named Isidoro Alonso. They had a son together, who was born in Marseilles.

Life After the War

In September 1942, Concha Pérez Collado returned to Barcelona. For a short time, she lost care of her son. The government decided she could not properly look after him. She found work as a helper for a Jewish family. They helped her get her son back by showing she had enough money to raise him.

While in Barcelona, Concha also reconnected with Maurici Palau. He was a former partner who had just been released from prison. They opened a jewelry and underwear shop at the Mercado de Sant Antoni. This shop also secretly served as a meeting place for anarchists. During this time, she continued to be an active member of the CNT. After the Civil War, she became even more involved with the CGT. When Franco died in 1973, she joined her local neighborhood groups.

From 1982 to 1984, Concha Pérez Collado shared her stories about anarchism in Spain during the 1930s in interviews. In 1997, a group called Mujeres del 36 (Women of '36) was created, and Concha was one of its founders. This group aimed to remember and honor the women who lived through the Civil War.

Concha Pérez Collado died on April 17, 2014, in Barcelona. She was 98 years old. Her death marked the end of an era, as she was one of the last surviving Spanish women who fought in the Civil War.

Her Legacy

After Concha Pérez Collado passed away, a group of people decided to honor her. They were setting up a library at a community center called l'Entrebanc. They chose to name their project Social Library Conxa Pérez to remember her life and contributions.