Federico Borrell García

He was born in Benilloba, Valencian Community, and went by the nickname "Taino". He worked at a mill in Alcoi and he founded the local branch of the anarchist Iberian Federation of Libertarian Youth (FIJL). He joined the local Loyalist militia, the Columna Alcoiana, set up to defend the Spanish Republic against the Spanish Nationalist forces of Francisco Franco.

Shot and killed during the early days of the Spanish Civil War, the moment of his death being capture by Robert Capa in the iconic photo 'The Fallen Soldier' (aka 'Loyalist Militiaman at the Moment of Death, Cerro Muriano, September 5, 1936'). Later attempts were made to discredit Capa and devalue the significance of the photograph have themselves since been discredited.

Founder of the local branch of the Federación Ibérica de Juventudes Libertarias (Iberian Federation of Libertarian Youth) in Alcoi (Alcoy), and took part in the widespread sabotage carried out during the October insurrection by Asturian miners and others against the inclusion of fascists from the Confederación Española de Derechas Autónomas (Spanish Confederation of Autonomous Right-wing Groups). At the beginning of the fascist uprising, he took part in the storming of the infantry barracks in Alcoi and joined the local Republican militia, the Columna Alcoiana, led by the local anarchist activist, Enrique Vaño Nicomedes.

On the morning of September 5, 1936, Federico was one of fifty militia who arrived at the village of Cerro Muriano (Cordoba) to reinforce the militia’s frontline against the forces of Varela. In the afternoon Federico was defending the artillery battery in the rear of the detachment when Francoist troops infiltrated behind the lines and started shooting from behind as well as in front. Federico was shot at about 5pm and died instantly. According to records, he was the only member of the column to die in fighting that day. In his honour and that of another anarchist from Alcoi, Juan Ruescas Ángel, who died on September 25, 1936 at Espejo, a militia column was named 'Ruescas-Taino'.

Much noise has been made since then about the authenticity of the shot(s), especially since a claim by José Manuel Susperregui in 2009* that the photo's were in fact taken near Espejo, 30 miles south of Cerro Muriano, something the likes of the 'Daily Mail' and 'Telegraph' enthusiastically publicised. However, the arguments put forward by Capa's biographer Richard Whelan and the extensive work of José Manuel Serrano Esparza has effectively debunked this. A recently discovered (in 2013) audio recording of Capa talking in 1947 about the taking of the shot tells a different different story.

[* The allegations were first raised in a 1975 book by Phillip Knightley entitled 'The First Casualty: From the Crimea to Vietnam; The War Correspondent as Hero, Propagandist, and Myth Maker'.]