From Le CIRA de Marseille
January 12, 2024
On September 26, 2023, Jacques Serra, the oldest member of CIRA, celebrated his 108th birthday. He passed away some time later, surrounded by his family, on November 4, 2023. One of the last protagonists of the Spanish Libertarian Revolution has passed away.
Jaime was born in 1915 in Alcarràs, a large village 10 kilometers from Lleida (Lérida). His parents were farmers and smallholders, republican but opposed to collectivization. This is a region where everyone speaks Catalan.
Jaime, who worked as a hairdresser, started hanging out with the FIJL (Federación Ibérica de Juventudes Libertarias) anarchists in Lérida at the age of 15. Their group numbered several hundred members at the time. He also attended evening classes at the Modern School founded by Francisco Ferrer (1859-1909). In 1936, he joined the Durruti Column (26th Division). He fought for three years on the Aragon front in the machine-gun section. A bullet went through his left arm, and as he himself says: "If it had gone through my head, I wouldn't be here to tell you about it..." On November 23, 1936, he was one of the tens of thousands who attended Durruti's funeral.
1939 saw the Retirada (Withdrawal). After crossing the border at Le Perthus, he found himself interned at Argelès-sur-Mer, then at Bram in the Aude department. His brother, turned back at the border, was taken prisoner by Franco's troops and died in prison.
He refused to enlist in the French army: "I've been in the war for three years, now that's enough". He was hired by a farmer near Bourges. From there, he cycled to Bordeaux and then walked to Marseille.
In Marseille, thanks to the complicity of an employee of the Spanish consulate, he was able to obtain proper papers and avoid going into hiding. This did not prevent him from rendering services to the Resistance.
He then moved to Aix-en-Provence where, after working as a hairdresser (his salon was called "Le Barbier de Séville"), he became a showman. His truck, called "Aix bazar", could be seen on the markets of Aix and Gardanne.
In Aix, he became involved in the activities of the Libre pensée, whose group was called "Francisco Ferrer." Together with libertarian geographer Roland Breton (1931-2016) and others, he organized numerous conferences. Some are led by anarchists: Charles-Auguste Bontemps, Hélène Hernandez... Since 2002, he had been a member of the Observatoire de laïcité du pays d'Aix.
He was also active in local Freemasonry. Since 1977, he had been a member of La Chaîne d'union lodge.
At over 100 years of age, he had not disavowed his youthful ideas, declaring with a mischievous smile: "Anarchy is the highest expression of order, but as long as there is no anarchy, there will be chaos."
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