A life devoted to naming the evacuation generation

Joe Gingell has devoted years to identifying evacuees pictured in old photographs, working to put names to faces and complete the historical record of Gibraltar’s evacuation. 

After beginning the work several years ago, Mr Gingell contacted the Chronicle and started submitting photographs for publication in the hope of identifying as many people as possible. The response was far greater than expected. 

People began recognising relatives, with the identification effort continuing for around six months. 

“They did a very good job in getting a lot of names. We went on for about six months, and the Chronicle was publishing four or five photos every week... Imagine. So, most of the names I've obtained were with Gabriella [Ramagge],” Mr Gingell said. 

After that, he continued with the project, hoping relatives will come forward to identify more people in the photographs. 

He received further feedback during the Evacuation Exhibition, which was held at the John Mackintosh Hall, with more people going to the exhibition in an effort to find their relatives among those photographed in London, Jamaica, Madeira or Northern Ireland. 

Mr Gingell now manages a Facebook page where he continues to post photos to identify evacuees.  

“An invaluable public service” 

The Deputy Chief Minister, Joseph Garcia, recognised Mr Gingell’s work as “an invaluable public service in his research, which is extensive in his books and in asking people to look at the photographs and identify the relatives, which will complete the historical record.” 

Dr Garcia highlighted the importance of understanding this episode in Gibraltarian history not only through the facts, but also through the experiences of the people involved, particularly the evacuation, which he described as traumatic. 

“It’s very easy to get caught up in the wider moment, the Second World War, but when you remember all this is about people, and all that involved a considerable amount of human suffering... People being uprooted from Gibraltar in the middle of a World War, sent first to French Morocco, then back to Gibraltar, then off to Northern Ireland, to London, to Madeira, to Jamaica...” 

“So, it was a traumatic event for the people who had to live through it.” 

Dr Garcia stressed that time could be running out. 

“Sadly, [there are] less evacuees left or they are very old, so we need to make sure we record as much as we can while they're still alive,” he said. 

He also stressed the importance of ensuring younger generations learn about these historical episodes. 

“We produced a book on the Evacuation, another on the closure of the border, and one on the 1967 referendum. That went out to all school children in Gibraltar. They've also been made available online. So that's a way of spreading the message.” 

“But I feel very strongly that young people should learn about these things, understand the history, because if you know the past and you know where you came from, then you know where you’re going,” Dr Garcia concluded. 

Gallery by Johnny Bugeja