Julia Bea Soto
Julia Bea Soto
Sesma, 28th January 1912 - Burlada, 13th August 1989
Julia Bea Soto was born the 28 of january of 1912 and she died the 13 of august in 1989 in Burlada. She had 8 brothers and sisters and she lived with her parents in Pamplona, in the Arrosadia neighborhood. She lived there until the end of the 20’s. Where she studied to become a clerk.
During the Second Spanish Republic she became part of the socialist youth of Pamplona. Julia was a very radical feminist anti-Franco militant affiliated to the Socialist Youth of Pamplona, who ended up joining the Communist Party in 1935.
During the Spanish Civil War Julia lived in Madrid with her family and she married a member of the International Brigades. Apart from being a feminist, when she moved to Madrid, she worked with Dolores Ibarruri, she was her secretary, who also was a very important political figure during the republic. She had the opportunity of leaving the country but as she couldn’t carry her sister with her she stayed in Spain when the war broke out.
She was arrested at the same time as her sister for being republican and they took them to the concentration camp of Los Almendros (Alicante). Luckily some national soldiers from Navarre working in that camp saved them from hunger by giving them some extra food. They were transferred to the prison of Alicante and then in the transfer to Madrid they got to escape from the fascist army.
They finally returned to Pamplona after few years and in 1939 Julia’s daughter was born. In 1942 she was called to court accused of being a communist.She got imprisoned initially for 15 years but she only served 8 years before she was released.
After getting out of prison she went to exile in France where she lived for 8 years. There she got married again with a man called Marcelino Iriarte Martínez and after a while they moved to a place next to Paris. Finally on a voyage to Burlada (Navarra) in 1989 to visit her sister Maria, Julia Bea Soto died when she was 77 years.
SOURCES:
https://fpabloiglesias.es/entrada-db/2686_bea-soto-julia/
https://revistanuestrahistoria.files.wordpress.com/2021/07/nh11_pp307-314.pdf