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Pototo Etxarri.

A march from Ziburu to Errenteria remembered this month the Basque members of the Second World War's anti-German escape and evasion line known as Comète. Comète, created in Belgium, helped soldiers who had been left behind in France when the British evacuated from Dunkirk and also airmen whose aircrafts had crashed in Belgium evading the Germans, and tried to return them to their countries. The organization was also involved in the distribution of La Libre Belgique an underground anti-German newspaper. Andrée "Dédée" de Jongh was the mastermind of the Comète escape line, which extended from Belgium into Holland, Luxembourg, France, Spain, and the Basque territories. She was captured and sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp; she survived the war.

During the Second World War the border between the Basque provinces of Lapurdi and Gipuzkoa was an strategic place for several anti-fascist underground organizations to transfer rescued allies into the Spanish state.

The Basque territories was the end of a long journey that started in Brussels and continued through Paris until Baiona, Donibane Lohizune or Ziburu in the Basque territories in France before crossing the Franco-Spanish border into the Basque territories in Spain.

Former members of the Comète escaping and evasion line, which also included many Basques and veteran pilots of the Royal Air Force Escaping Society, organized the march as a tribute to all the members and supporters of the Belgium-based anti-fascist organization. The last stage of the march, which started on the 15, took place between the Basque towns of Ziburu and Orereta. The mountaineering club Urdaburu organized the crossing of the Franco-Spanish border through the Bidasoa river and prepared the infrastructure required for this historic journey.

The people rescued by Comète started their journey to the Basque territories in Spain either through the Bisadosa river by boat or crossing the Pyrenees on foot. Once in the Spanish state, representatives of the British and the U.S. embassies took them to Gibraltar from which they were returned to their countries.

Comète was in operation between 1941 and 1944. It saved 770 allied pilots and had about 1,700 members and supporters. Basque members of Comète helped 288 pilots cross into the Spanish state, all of which survived the war.

Comète started to operate in the Basque territories when Andrée "Dédée" de Jongh came to Lapurdi and contacted the De Greef, a Belgian family living in the Basque city of Baiona after escaping from their country.

Kattalin Agirre from Ziburu was the first Basque woman to join Comète.

Other members and supporters of Comète's Basque network included Frantxia Usandizaga from Urruña, Florentino Goikoetxea, Manuel Larburu and Tomas Anabitarte from Hernani, Alejandro Elizalde from Elizondo, Bernardo Arakama from Donostia, and the Iriarte and the Arbide-Garaiar families from Oiartzun.

Usandizaga and Larburu died in concentration camps. Elizalde died in Kanbo after being in a concentration camp.

None of the members of Comète's Basque network are alive. Some of their relatives and friends took part in the march along with some of the members of Comète in Belgium and veteran pilots of the Royal Air Force Escaping Society.

The march took off on the 15th from the home of Kattalin Agirre in Ziburu stopping at the local cemetery to pay tribute to Agirre and Florentino Goikoetxea. The march headed to Urruña where participants stopped for a tribute to Frantxia Usandizaga and Manuel Larburu. From Urruña the march continued towards Orereta where they arrived on Sunday.

	Andrée "Dédée" de Jongh was the mastermind of the Comète escape line, which extended from Belgium into Holland, Luxembourg, France, the Basque territories, and Spain"

Two pilots rescued by Comète, Bobby Conville and Alan Cowan, left Brussels for the Basque city of Bilbo on the 14 of October 1941 accompanied by a woman, Elvire De Greef. Airey Neeves book "Little Cyclone" describes the crossing of the Franco-Belgian border.

"At the end of September 1941, Tante Go (Elvire De Greef) arrived in Brussels from Anglet to collect the two men of the Highland Division, Bobby and Alan, from Paul. Her return journey with the Scotsmen to the Belgian frontier was uneventful, but at Quievrain station there was a disturbing incident. The two young Scotsmen had been told to represent themselves as Flemish. They had informed Tante Go that there was nothing in their pockets of interest to the Customs. But on arrival at Quievrain, the presence of a German Feldgendarme made the French officials more alert than usual. To the horror of Tante Go, her companions were taken to an office and searched. Alan had a large quantity of cigarettes. Both were told to wait while the douanier disappeared, leaving them in the office under the stolid gaze of the Feldgendarme. When his back was turned, Bobby began to stuff the cigarettes, taken from Alan, into his own pockets. The German, suddenly observing this, appeared highly amused and began to laugh. To Bobby's intense surprise he was allowed to leave with some of the cigarettes. Alan waited dumbly in the office until the casual Feldgendarme disappeared. Through the open door, he saw Tante Go wave in the distance. He ran for all he was worth to join her. Then the three of them walked hastily away. Suddenly there was a shout behind them. The douanier who had searched Alan was riding towards them on a bicycle, grinning broadly. He stopped and handed over to Alan the remainder of the cigarettes".

The two men were met by Andrée "Dédée" de Jongh at Valenciennes who took them all the way to Bilbo. They left the Zone Interdite by crossing the Somme river near Villiers in a small boat and then travelled on through Amiens, Paris and finally Baiona. From Baiona they went by bus to Donibane Lohizune. They crossed the Pyrenees on foot arriving in Donostia on October 16, 1941.

September 20, 2000

Pototo Etxarri is a social worker and a graduate student of History. He lives in Baiona.