The last living member of the quinta del Biberón in the region of Central Catalonia (Barcelona), Salvador Farrés, died this morning at the age of 103. This has been confirmed by the Memory and History Association of Manresa in a statement.
Through the letter, the entity has given its condolences to the family and has thanked Farrés for “his always full willingness to collaborate” with the entity when required. “He has left us a good man, who made himself loved and of whom we will always keep fond memories,” the organization stated.
Farrés was born in Manresa (Barcelona) on September 4, 1920, into a peasant family. However, on April 27, 1938, when he was 17 years old, he was sent to the front with the Army of the Republic to fight in the Civil War. Although he made it out alive afterward, he was later held captive in a prison camp.
Until October 5, 1945, Farrés was not free of weapons again. In total, he spent seven and a half years surrounded by them. Between the Civil War, the prison camp and compulsory military service in Franco’s army.
Salvador Farrés participated in the annual meeting commemorating the Battle of the Ebro at elevation 705 of the Sierra de Pàndols (Tarragona). This gathering is celebrated every July 25 and honors the thousands of soldiers killed in the war. In the last two editions he was the only survivor who could be present.
At the last meeting, which was in 2023, Farrés still attended the event where he coincided with a group of young people, most of them 17 years old. The boys, who were participating in an experience of cleaning and discovering remains of the Civil War in the area, were impressed with his testimony.
