Antonio Gelpi Asorey, Republican Doctor Shot in 1941
Antonio Gelpi Asorey (Cambados, 1903 – Guadalajara, 1941), from a family settled in Xinzo de Limia, was a doctor and president of the Guadalajara Medical Association during the war; sentenced to death, he was shot on 17 June 1941.
- Born
- Cambados, 22 March 1903
- Death
- Guadalajara, 17 June 1941 (executed by firing squad)
- Profession
- doctor, health inspector
- Link to A Limia
- family of the Almacenes Asorey, on Xinzo's Praza Maior
Antonio Gelpi Asorey was born in Cambados on 22 March 1903 and was shot by firing squad in Guadalajara cemetery on 17 June 1941, aged 38. He was not born in A Limia, but his family —the widow Blanca Asorey and her twelve children— settled in Xinzo de Limia around the 1930s to take over the house and grocery warehouse on the Praza Maior, which for almost the whole of the 20th century were the well-known Almacenes Asorey, selling food and drink [1].
Training and career
He graduated in Medicine in Santiago de Compostela (degree issued on 1 January 1929). As a student he belonged to the Federation of Catholic Students, a Christian commitment which, according to Cerredelo, led him to a strong social engagement. He became a health inspector by competitive examination in 1929, acting forensic doctor in Guadalajara (November 1936), medical lieutenant in the Security Corps (1937), medical captain in the 28th Assault Group (1938) and president of the Guadalajara Medical Association from October 1936 until its dissolution in February 1938 [1]. In politics he was president of the UGT’s Provincial Metalworkers’ Union in Guadalajara and a member of Izquierda Republicana [1].
War and sentence
One of his brothers fought on the Republican side and two others on the Nationalist side «for reasons of geography», according to the text [1]. He was arrested in Madrid on 11 May 1939 and taken to Santa Engracia prison, transferred to the central prison in Guadalajara in February 1940 and tried on 9 May 1940 by a court martial (summary proceedings no. 1384-39) which sentenced him to death for adhesion to the rebellion. He was shot on 17 June 1941. In his last letter to his mother, from prison, he wrote «Soy inocente madre» (quote) [1].
Memory
Most of the official data come from the blog of the doctor and historian David Simón Lorda, cited by Cerredelo [1].
Frequently asked questions
Was he from Xinzo? He was born in Cambados, but his family lived on the Praza Maior in Xinzo de Limia, where they ran the Asorey business [1].
How did he die? He was shot in Guadalajara on 17 June 1941 after a summary court martial [1].
Links
Sources
- Edelmiro Martínez Cerredelo, «Antonio Gelpi Asorey, médico republicano fusilado polo franquismo en 1940», Historia de Xinzo, 13-07-2022 (cites the blog of David Simón Lorda). https://historiadexinzo.wordpress.com/2022/07/13/antonio-gelpi-asorey-medico-republicano-fusilado-polo-franquismo-en-1940/
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