Minutes

              MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE BASQUE CHILDREN'S COMMITTEE HELD ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH, 1939, IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS, AT 5 P.M.
PRESENT: Miss Eleanor Rathbone (Chairman)
Dame Janet Campbell
Mrs. Gee
Mrs. Thornycroft
Mrs. Manning
Mrs. Attenborough
Miss Sutherland
Miss Vulliamy
Dr. Ellis
Mr. Thornycroft
Mr. Fuller Bryant
Dr. Betty Morgan
Miss Denner
1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: Received from
Mr. Christopher Hill
Mr. R.R. Stokes
Miss Arne
Mr. Harries
Mr. H.D. Watson
2. MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING : The Minutes of the last meeting, having been circulated, were taken as read and signed.
3. MATTERS ARISING ON THE MINUTES:
a) Report on Cabrils - Dr. Morgan reported that 29 of the boys formerly in Cabrils had arrived in France.
Of these, 12 were ex-England boys and all were now in a colony in Bayonne. Mr. Evans-Jones had been cabled to try to place the 12 older boys through the Basque Delegation either in France or Belgium. Dr. Morgan said a letter had been received from these boys asking to be allowed to return to England. The feeling of the Committee was that it would be undesirable to bring back the boys to this country to live in colonies meant for younger children and it was finally decided, on Mrs. Manning's suggestion, that inquiries should be made about the training camps in Belguim, and if possible that the boys should be placed there, or alternatively, settled in one of the more satisfactory camps in France.
b) Roman Catholic Homes
i. Letter from Sir A. Maxwell - Dr. Morgan read a letter from Sir Alexander Maxwell to Miss Rathbone in which he asked whether the ruling of the Committee with regard to the repatriation of the children in Catholic Homes would be reconsidered in view of the changed situation in Spain.
Dr. Morgan said that news was now coming through which indicated that many of the children's parents were at present in France.
Miss Rathbone said she would write Sir A. Maxwell to the effect that the situation was uncertain at the moment