Fernanda Jacobsen y la Scottish Ambulance Unit en la Guerra Civil Española

After graduating in Communication/Journalism, Linda Palfreeman was awarded a doctorate in Linguistics by the University of Leeds (UK), with a thesis on the interpretation of the language of advertising. Since 1996 she has been a lecturer at CEU-Cardenal Herrera University at the Carmelitas campus in Elche. Her publications include the book Spain Bleeds: The Development of Battlefield Blood Transfusion During the Civil War (Sussex Academic Press / Cañada Blanch Centre for Contemporary Spanish Studies, 2015).

Summary. When the Civil War broke out in Spain in July 1936, the Republic sent out a request to the world for medical aid, and thousands of people from overseas responded to the call. The ambulance unit of the Spanish Medical Aid Commission (SMAC) was the best-known of the British organisations involved. However, there were other enterprises of this type about which little is known. One of these was the Scottish Ambulance Unit.

The Scottish Ambulance Unit was comprised of six ambulances and a lorry loaded with medical supplies, together with a team of 20 volunteers. The only woman in the team was the commanding officer, Fernanda Jacobsen. Fernanda was initially appointed as liaison officer and interpreter, as she spoke Spanish and had contacts with the Republican government, which represented a great help for organising the Unit’s work in the besieged national capital, Madrid. However, Fernanda soon proved to be indispensable, so much so that she continued as the leader of the Unit in each of its successive expeditions to Spain, during a period of approximately two years, from September 1936 to 1938. Daring, courageous and compassionate, Fernanda risked her own life to alleviate the suffering of a people in need. She was worshipped and adored by the Spanish populace.

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