European War Office facts for kids
The European War Office (also known as Oficina Pro Cautivos) was a special office created by King Alfonso XIII of Spain. Its main goal was to help people affected by World War I, no matter which side they were on, or if they were soldiers or civilians. The King's own secretary managed this office, which was located in the Royal Palace of Madrid.
One of the King's important achievements was helping both sides of the war agree to stop sinking hospital ships. Because of this, Spanish naval observers sailed on hospital ships from different countries. They made sure these ships were only used to help sick and wounded people, not for military missions. The King also helped create a special signal code just for hospital ships.
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Why Spain Stayed Neutral
During World War I, Spain chose to stay neutral, meaning it didn't pick a side. There were several reasons for this. One important reason for King Alfonso was his family. His wife was British, and his mother was Austrian, among other family connections. However, this didn't stop the King from setting up the European War Office, showing he still wanted to help.
On August 7, 1914, a special announcement was published in Gaceta de Madrid. King Alfonso and Prime Minister Eduardo Dato signed a Royal Decree. This declared Spain's neutrality, saying the government had a "duty to order the strictest neutrality to Spanish subjects."
The Spanish Government didn't see a reason to join the war. They also didn't have enough resources, like money or supplies, to fight. Most politicians and business leaders agreed with this. King Alfonso also agreed, even though he had told the French ambassador he wished Spain could join the Allies.
Another big reason for Spain's neutrality was its weak military. Spain was already fighting many smaller battles in North Africa because of its protectorate in Morocco. This meant the Army was old-fashioned and didn't have good supplies. A lot of the budget went to paying the many officers. The Navy had also suffered a big defeat in the Spanish-American War of 1898. It took a decade for the government to start investing in new warships, but the Navy still wasn't ready to fight against powerful countries.
There was also a lot of social unrest in Spain. Support for workers' rights was growing, and new political parties were appearing. These groups might have tried to start a revolution. A sudden change in government would have been bad for Spain.
How the Office Worked
The European War Office started around 1914 with only six staff members. But then, a French newspaper called Le Petit Girondais published a story about the office. After that, tons of letters arrived from people all over Europe asking for help. This made the King expand the office to 48 staff members. All of them spoke several languages, and many volunteers also helped. A famous member of the office was Julián Juderías, a historian who could speak 15 languages!
The office worked closely with the Red Cross. It was organized into different sections to handle various tasks:
- Finding Missing People
- Getting Information and Sending Letters in Occupied Areas
- Helping Prisoners
- Bringing Severely Wounded or Sick Soldiers Home
- Bringing Civilians Home
- Helping People Stay in Switzerland (a neutral country)
- Asking for Pardons (to forgive someone for a crime)
- Changing Sentences (making punishments less severe)
- Sending Money to People and Families in Occupied Areas
- Writing Reports from Spanish Delegates Who Visited Places
The office received over 200,000 letters, with 140,000 of them from soldiers' families. Every letter was answered thanks to what the director of the Palace General Archives called "a primitive computing system."
King Alfonso's efforts weren't just about finding people's relatives. He also tried to stop people from being put to death. It's believed that about 100 people, including French and German soldiers, were saved from execution because of the office. The King even tried to save Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family, but sadly, he was not successful. The Palace General Archives have more than 90 documents showing his efforts to free or visit the Tsar. Office staff visited over 4,000 prisoners across Europe. However, the Russian royal family had already died when the rescue began. Still, the King wasn't sure about the fate of the Tsarina and her children, so he and his office kept trying.
There is also proof that the King's work helped lift the German blockade of Belgium in 1914. This allowed food and supplies from the United States to reach the nine million people living there.
How They Were Thanked
Diplomats who helped with the office's work received the Reconnaissance Française medal. The women who worked there received the Red Cross medal. The rest of the staff received the Order of Isabel the Catholic Queen.
King Alfonso himself was thanked by the people of Belgium and Italy in 1923. People all over the world admired him greatly. A young English girl even wrote a prayer that appeared in a newspaper: "And God bless Father and Mother, and Nurse, and send Father back soon from his horrid prison in Germany. And God bless specially the dear King of Spain who found out about Father. Amen."
In 1917, King Alfonso was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, but it was given to the International Committee of the Red Cross. He was nominated again in 1933, even though he was living in exile by then. In honor of his royal status, Le Meurice Hotel in Paris has a room named "Suite Royale Alphonse XIII." The famous Spanish painter Salvador Dalí stayed in this suite for one month every year for thirty years!
Interesting Cases
- French actor and singer Maurice Chevalier was taken prisoner in Germany. Thanks to King Alfonso's secret help, he was released.
- Russian ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky was arrested in Budapest, Hungary. He was also released thanks to the help of King Alfonso and other international leaders.
- In the Royal Palace's archive, there is a complaint about the bad conditions of future French president Charles de Gaulle. Spanish inspectors sent this report to the King, who then sent it to the war camp.
- An 8-year-old French girl named Sylviane Sartor sent a letter to the King. She asked him to find her uncle, who was a prisoner of war. She wrote that finding him would make her mother happy. She said: "Your Majesty, Mother is crying all the time because her brother has been taken prisoner. She has just received a letter that says he will die of hunger. Your Majesty, if you could send him to Switzerland… because Mother is certainly going to make herself ill. Your Majesty, I thank you in advance. Your servant, Sylviane". The King replied, asking for more information: "Dear Miss, I will do my best to stop your mother from crying. So be so good as to send me exact news of your uncle so that I can take the matter further. Alfonso XIII, King." The prisoner was Achille Delmonte. He was found in a camp in Hanover, Germany, and sent back to Switzerland to be with his family.
- The French prime minister asked the King to help bring home 20,000 French civilians. These people were stuck in enemy territory because of the war and were going to be sent to prison camps. Alfonso XIII managed to get them freed in a few months. After this, France considered him a war hero.
- The office tried to find John Kipling, the only son of Nobel Prize for Literature winner Rudyard Kipling. Sadly, their efforts were not successful. His remains were not found and identified until 1922.
Public Exhibition
Today, all these letters and documents from the European War Office are kept in the archives of the Royal Palace of Madrid. They were shown to the public in an exhibition called Letters to the King. The humanitarian activities of Alfonso XIII during the Great War. This exhibition took place from November 8, 2018, to March 3, 2019, in the Genoa Rooms of the Royal Palace of Madrid.
See also
In Spanish: Oficina Pro Cautivos para niños
- Ministry of Supply
- World War I
- Diplomacy
