Spain - Nationalist Period: Spanish Civil War Nationalist Propaganda Bronze Cross from the Island of Mallorca, as given to people on the Island who supported the Nationalist cause by donating money or jewellery, and commemorating the outbreak of the Nationalist Uprising on 19 July 1936, with the motto on the obverse ‘Amo A Espana’ (I Love Spain) above the date that the Nationalist uprising began, the reverse with the wording: ‘Pro Aris Et Focis’ (For the Altars and the Homes). This affixed to its original ribbon with gilt ‘pasador’ top bar. Rare.
Condition: Good Very Fine.
The largest of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca was a locus of nationalist sentiment from early on. Republican forces waged a hard fought battle to win the island back, between July and September of 1936, but were ultimately defeated by the nationalists’ superior air power. On September 4, the island was definitely taken and, over the course of the war, Mallorca served as an important air and naval base for Franco’s fascist forces.
