Julián Mur Sánchez 1900 - 1942

Born 14.1.1900 in Zaragoza
Died 12.10.1942 in Hartheim

Biography

Julián Mur was born on 14 January 1900 in Zaragoza. During the Spanish Civil War he became a captain in the Republican army. Numerous survivors from among the Mauthausen deportees later remembered him and conveyed an image of a strong personality, especially because of his courageous conduct following the death of the first Spaniard in the camp.

The arrival of the Spanish Republicans in Mauthausen began on 6 August 1940, when a transport with around 400 men arrived at the camp from the Stalag VII A prisoner of war camp, where they had been interned on French territory in the weeks following the German invasion. Julián was in this convoy. More transports, with a total of more than 1,000 Spaniards, arrived during August.

On 26 August the first Spanish deportee died in Mauthausen. He was José Marfil Escalona from Málaga, born on 7 July 1888 in Fuengirola, who had been in the same transport as Julián. The news of his death spread rapidly among the Spaniards. Julián sought permission to honour José. The request was submitted to the camp commandant who, to universal surprise, approved it. The survivor Juan de Diego gave this account of the event:

‘The SS marched to our meeting in five-man columns... After the usual roll call procedure had finished, we were allowed to break ranks... But on this day Mur was the only one to step out of the ranks... He stood before us and spoke with a strong and dignified voice: “Today the first Spaniard died in the Mauthausen camp... Hold your heads up high; let us once more prove our solidarity... We shall hold a minute of silence...” A clear and forceful voice gave us the order to remove our caps. We obeyed this order with full discipline... Then silence fell. A silence that flowed through the whole camp... Even the SS men, looking on out of pure curiosity, were impressed. One SS man let his arms drop to his sides; his cigarette fell from his fingers to the ground. It seemed as if Mur’s orders had imposed themselves on him too.'

These images remained forever engraved in the memories of the surviving Republicans, representing a symbol of solidarity at the start of their experiences in Mauthausen and testifying to the collective ethos within the Spanish group.

Julián Mur was transferred to Gusen on 21 April 1941 after several months in the Mauthausen main camp. He was finally taken in one of the feared 'phantom transports' to the sinister Hartheim Castle, where he was murdered in the gas chamber on 12 October 1941. No-one held a minute of silence in his honour.

 

Amical de Mauthausen y otros campos y de todas las víctimas del Nazismo en España

Translation into English: Joanna White

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