Manuel Millán Calvo

Aragonese libertarian anti-Francoist guerrillero, born. Already a CNT militant when called up for national service in the Utrillas mines, he deserted with fellow CNTista Modesto Llueve Vera and the socialist Emilio Azuara Navarro aka 'Doroteo'. In 1947, all three joined the Agrupación Guerrillera de Levante (AGL), operating in the mountains of Utrillas, but were captured later that year. In May 6, 1947, he ended up in the prison of Zaragoza and was court-martialed on November 7 bythe Consejo de Guerra. He was sentenced to death for "rebellion, banditry and terrorism", but the sentence was later commuted to 30 years in prison. On November 16, 1949, he was transferred to the prison of San Miguel de los Reyes, learning both the trade of carpenter and to play the trombone in the orchestra assembled by prisoners. In 1959, he married in prison. Desperate at seeing his companions being released whilst he remained in prison, he attempted suicide, cutting the veins in his wrists, ending up interned for a year in a Madrid asylum. He was then sent to Laayoune (Sahara Spanish) for military service. In the mid sixties he was released under an amnesty.