Three stationery post cards from Labor Camp nr 2 without sender indications, 1938

Three stationery post cards sent by prisoner José Blasi Mora from Labor Camp number 2 in Hospitalet de Mar (currently Hospitalet de l'Infant). No references to the camp neither to any of the topics that can help to identify correspondence coming from them, as requesting packets to be sent through Pueblo Español (Montjuïc or Exposición) in Barcelona, but all of them in the chronology the sender spent in Labor Camp number 2 (he was arrested on August 6, 1937 and he was released on February 1939).

The first post card has a mark "CORREO / MILITAR / 18 JUL 1938 / ESTADO MAYOR / MINISTERIO DE DEFENSA" (text on the back dated the same day, 1939 instead of 1938, obviously a mistake). The second, a Barcelona postmark dated on September 4, 1938 (text on the back dated on August 31, 1938). And the last one has another Barcelona postmark dated on September 9, 1938 (text on the back undated).

The presence of Barcelona postmarks suggests the correspondence left the camp without postmarks, and it was postmarked upon arrival to the SIM offices in this city. This is specially significant on the second post card: observing the lapse between the date on the text and the date on the postmark, this conclusion seems appropiate. The identification of the sender is clear: calligraphy and signatures (Pitus, Pep and Pep Blasi, in first, second and third post cards) are identical to other post cards known from this sender. The addressee is also found in those other known post cards with indication to Labor Camp number 2 in the sender's info.

This lot is sold with individual certificates for each post card to prove the links of these pieces with lots CT124, CT125, CT126, CT127, CT132, CT133, CT134, CT135, CT136, CT137, CT138 & CT139, as despite coming out from Labor Camp number 2 for chronology, lack of references on the text and lack of sender info make them unidentifiable unless compared with other pieces from the same prisoner.

José Blasi Mora was arrested for sabotage on August 6, 1937 (see Centro Documental de la Memoria Histórica, Signature DNSD-SECRETARIA,FICHERO,8,B0084681) and he was liberated  on February 1939 near the French border, by Division 82 of the nationalist army, after having beeing transferred to Collell sanctuary when the labor camp nr 2 was moved due to the proximity of the front. See La Vanguardia, February 22, 1939, page 4, "Relación de los liberados procedentes del Collell, atendidos en Olot por la División 82".

For more info about SIM's Labor Camp number 2, see Francesc Badia's study, "Els camps de treball a Catalunya durant la guerra civil (1936-1939), Publicacions de l'Abadia de Montserrat, Barcelona, 2001,  pages 163-186.