Constantino Limia Limia, a Lieutenant from Trasmiras in the Cuban War
Constantino Limia Limia (Lobaces, Trasmiras, 1868 – Xinzo de Limia, 1961) was a second lieutenant in the Cuban war, municipal judge of Xinzo in 1931 and a witness whom Carlos Casares interviewed in 1960.
Constantino Limia Limia was born in Lobaces (Trasmiras) in 1868 and died in Xinzo de Limia in 1961, aged 93 [1]. He was a soldier in the Cuban war and later municipal judge of Xinzo.
Soldier in Cuba
Called up for military service, he passed through several Spanish cities, Puerto Rico and Cuba. A photograph of him with other soldiers must date from 1895-1898 [1]. During his military career he met and befriended figures such as Churchill, the politician Alejandro Lerroux, General Martínez Campos and the then Captain Primo de Rivera [1]. For his courage and his part in war actions he received several Military Merit medals and returned to Spain in January 1899 with the rank of second lieutenant [1].
In 1960 Carlos Casares interviewed him for La Región of Ourense, probably one of his first contributions to the press. Asked whether he was present at the arrival of the American fleet, Limia replied that he had been the man chosen by Colonel España to carry the news to Havana; on arriving, General Jiménez Castellanos was addressing the people and said: «Antes que rendirse La Habana, todas las balas pasarán sobre mi cabeza» (Before Havana surrenders, every bullet will pass over my head) [1]. Edelmiro Martínez Cerredelo was unable to obtain the final part of the interview [1].
In Xinzo
In the 1920s Lerroux contacted him to ask whether he would like to be mayor of Xinzo; he declined. During the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera, when the dictator stopped in Xinzo, Constantino presented himself before him and Primo de Rivera recognised him from the Cuban war, when he was still a captain [1]. In 1931 the Governing Chamber of the Territorial Court of A Coruña appointed him municipal judge of the Xinzo district. A Falange report of 1938 notes: «Militancia izquierdista. Juez Municipal» (Left-wing militancy. Municipal Judge), and says he was father-in-law of the government delegate and provincial deputy Álvaro Rodríguez Suárez [1].
He married Carmen Ugarte Arcos, of a Trasmiras family, and they had three children: José, Manuela and Beatriz Limia Ugarte. The family home stood on the main road in Xinzo; today only part of its façade survives and it is known as the Ugarte building [1].
Links
Sources
- Edelmiro Martínez Cerredelo, «Constantino Limia Limia, un limiao tenente na guerra de Cuba», Historia de Xinzo, 22/01/2022. https://historiadexinzo.wordpress.com/2022/01/22/constantino-limia-limia-un-limiao-tenente-na-guerra-de-cuba/ (the author cites his book Historia e Memoria. A Limia 1931-1953)
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