Virgilio Leret facts for kids
Virgilio Leret Ruiz (born August 23, 1902 – died July 18, 1936) was a Spanish air force officer and a talented writer. He was also a pioneer in aeronautical engineering, which means he was one of the first people to work on designing and building aircraft. He even had a patent for his own jet-engine design. Virgilio Leret is thought to be the first officer killed during the Spanish Civil War. This happened after a group of Nationalist-rebel soldiers took control of the military base in Melilla, a city in the Spanish protectorate of Morocco.
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Early Life and Military Career
Virgilio Leret was born in Pamplona, Spain. He was the third of seven children. His family came from Havana, Cuba, but they moved to Spain after Cuba became independent.
When he was four years old, Virgilio started school with the Marist Brothers. Like his father, he chose a career in the military. He joined the Infantry Academy in Toledo on August 3, 1917.
On July 8, 1920, he graduated as a second lieutenant. He was the top student in his class! He was sent to Ceuta in Spanish Morocco, where he served under his father's command. He helped occupy several villages in the region.
In May 1921, he was sent to the new Campamento de Aviación de Sania Ramel, which was the first airport in Spanish Morocco. He continued to serve in Morocco until 1922. He was promoted to infantry lieutenant in July 1922.
He later transferred to different military units and continued his training. In September 1925, he entered the army's Central Gymnastics School in Toledo.
He then started a military pilot course at the Albacete School. However, he had to return to Larache to help his colleagues. In Barcelona, he met Carlota O'Neill y de Lamo, a left-wing feminist writer who would become his partner.
In March 1926, he went to Los Alcázares for an observer course. Soon after, he was in an aircraft accident and spent a month in the hospital. He recovered and continued his training, becoming qualified in June 1926. He survived another forced landing later that year due to engine failure.
In 1927, he was hospitalized again with malaria. After recovering, he was promoted to infantry captain in July. He received further pilot training in Alcalá de Henares and Guadalajara. He became a civilian pilot in October 1927 and completed his military pilot training in January 1928.
In November 1928, he wrote to Carlota O'Neill. He asked her to marry him for the sake of their two daughters, Maria Gabriela and Carlota. They were married in a Catholic ceremony on February 10, 1929. Later that year, he also qualified as an electromechanical engineer.
On December 15, 1930, Leret and eleven other officers refused to chase two generals who had escaped by plane after a failed uprising. He was sent to military prison and discharged from the army. However, he was later pardoned and rejoined the air force after the Second Spanish Republic was formed.
In May 1932, he went to the El Atalayón hydroplane base in Melilla. A few months later, he took a seaplane course, finishing in February 1933. In 1935, he was arrested for speaking out against a political military broadcast. He was sentenced to two months in prison.
Jet Engine Design
While in prison, Virgilio Leret worked on his amazing project: a jet engine. After he was released, he was imprisoned again. This time, it was because he had not supported a right-wing general's attempted coup in 1932. But he kept working on his jet engine design.
On March 28, 1935, he was granted a patent for his "continuous reaction turbocompressor, for propulsion of aircraft, and in general all types of vehicles." This was a big step! The President of Spain, Manuel Azaña, learned about his project. On April 28, 1936, he made Leret a professor at the mechanics' school in Cuatro Vientos. This allowed Leret to start experiments on his engine.
Sadly, after Leret's death, President Azaña authorized the production of the jet engine in September 1936. It was planned to be built at the Hispano Suiza de Aviación factory.
Nationalist Uprising and Death
On July 17, 1936, a Nationalist uprising began in Melilla. The rebels attacked the seaplane base where Leret was stationed. Leret was with his family on a boat nearby. He quickly rowed ashore to help.
With two other lieutenants, Armando González Corral and Luis Calvo Calavia, Leret defended the base. However, many soldiers were on leave, so their defense was difficult. A column of rebel soldiers, called Regulares, came to help in the attack.
Leret defended the base for several hours. He caused two casualties among the Moroccan soldiers fighting for the rebels. But he eventually ran out of ammunition. The exact details of what happened next are not fully clear. After being captured, he was severely beaten. He was then given a quick trial and shot dead on July 18, along with his colleagues. Some reports say his own colleagues were forced to shoot him.
Carlota Leret O'Neill, his wife, did not know he had been killed. She was imprisoned the same day. She was given four suitcases, one of which belonged to Leret. Her captors did not know that this suitcase secretly contained his jet-engine designs. With the help of two other prisoners, the plans were secretly smuggled out to their relatives. The bodies of Leret and his colleagues have never been found.
Awards and Legacy
Virgilio Leret received several awards for his military service:
- 1921 - Moroccan Military Medal
- 1922 - First Class Cross of Military Merit with red badge
- 1925 - Tribute Medal
- 1927 - First Class Cross of Military Merit with red badge
- 1929 - First Class Cross of Military Merit with red badge
- 1933 - Campaign commemorative medal
Because he stayed loyal to the Republic, he was promoted to the rank of commander after his death.
Leret could speak many languages. He also wrote books under the pen name El caballero del azul (The Knight of Blue). He wrote a novel called Ismael el Cóndor about Spanish Morocco. He also wrote Historia biográfica de Nova-Aquilae, which was a surrealist story that commented on society.
Carlota Leret O'Neill was sentenced to six years in prison. She was released after five years. She got her children back, who had been cared for by her husband's relatives. She also recovered Leret's jet-engine designs from a prisoner's family. The plans had been hidden under a floor-tile! She secretly gave a copy to an aviation expert at the British embassy in Madrid.
Leret's daughter, Carlota, continued to share her father's story. In 2011, a documentary about Leret's engine was made. In 2014, a model of his engine was completed. It is now displayed at the Museum of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Madrid.
See also
In Spanish: Virgilio Leret para niños
