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The 4th August 2004 was the 300th anniversary of Gibraltar under the British flag.

Although this subject is strictly speaking not Genealogy, we feel very strongly that the actions of the current British government are very much against the interests of the people of Gibraltar.
In referenda, the 30,000 people of Gibraltar have expressed, with 98% unanimity, that they wish to remain British and are opposed to any involvement by Spain in the government of the Rock. Talks are under way (in 2002) between the British and Spanish governments completely against the wishes of the Gibraltarians, who could be described as being more British than we British ourselves.

In 1713, the King of Spain signed the Treaty of Utrecht, which binds Britain, Spain and Gibraltar.
It provides that "The Catholic King does hereby for himself, his heirs and successors, yield to the Crown of Great Britain the full and entire propriety of the town and castle of Gibraltar, together with the port, fortifications and forts theunto belonging. And he gives up the said propriety to be held and enjoyed absolutely with all manner of right for ever without any exception or impediment whatsoever."
The British people on the Rock have the right to live in peace and free from Spanish bullying tactics at the border crossing - unless, of course, Tony Blair decides to renege on the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. He would then go down in history as the instigator of the greatest injustice of modern times: the betrayal of our fellow citizens in Gibraltar.

The Gibraltar government have even been driven to advertise for support in the British Press. We have also experienced the aggression of the Spanish government, as described below.

On Wednesday, 7th November 2002, the people of Gibraltar voted, in a referendum, a resounding 98.7% not to have anything to do with shared Spanish/British sovereignty. Still Madrid and London refuse to acknowledge this as being valid. Just what is their agenda?

This is our small contribution in support of our friends in Gibraltar.

On the 2nd March 2004, in a thanksgiving service in London, Gibraltar celebrates 300 years of being British. However, the London Gibraltar Society - and many others - are disappointed to hear that our Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, does not deem it important enough to attend.

My Final Fight: Justice for Gibraltar

by Peter Carter-Ruck

The motto of the Carter-Ruck family is Nemo me major nisi qui justior - 'No man more upright unless he be more just'. It is this motto that makes me proud and which, from childhood, has made justice a primary concern of mine.
In 1998, at the age of 85, I retired from my 60-year, full-time legal career in London, continuing as a legal consultant.
Today, however, I am prepared to return to the front line to fight what I believe to be one of the greatest injustices of modern times: the betrayal of our fellow citizens on the Rock of Gibraltar.
For Britain to even consider joint sovereignty of Gibraltar with Spain would be an act of cowardice, a political, moral and legal injustice and a gross reflection upon our national character.
History has taught us that the politics of appeasement don't work, yet we are currently pursuing such a policy with Spain, with treacherous disregard to the rights of the Rock's 30,000 British citizens.
I will be happy to act for them because I am driven by the same sentiment as that which made me join the Royal Artillery at the beginning of the Second World War - the belief that strong nations must help the weak maintain their independence.
Preventing bullies from preying on the vulnerable is the first humanitarian duty of us all.
The bullying tactics of Spain are something of which I and my family have first-hand knowledge - for we were among those who suffered the heavy-handedness of the late Spanish dictator, General Franco. I used to have a home in Spain and often reached it by flying to Gibraltar.
Frequently, I and hundreds of other Britons, were detained in our cars, in intense heat, for hours at the frontier, a deliberate policy of delay operated by the Spanish. Finally they closed the frontier completely, and we had to catch a ferry to Algeciras just to get into Spain.
The reason I share this reminiscence with you is to demonstrate that the Spanish government was aggressive then - and it remains aggressive today.
I experienced the injustice of military might as a student in Germany in 1932. I watched the rise of Nazism. I saw Hitler speaking at a huge gathering in Freiburg and witnessed a Jew being kicked along the tramlines by young Nazis.
On one occasion, I went to a meeting to hear a leading Nazi speak, but when the moment came for the Nazi salute I stood with my hands firmly at my side. I was not attacked, for the British were respected then.
In spite of the warning signs, the appeasement of this terrible regime by our Government and the Foreign Office continued until 1938, when, to our eternal discredit, we let Germany take over Austria. I suffered sleepless nights until 1939, when we went to the defence of smaller nations against the Nazi onslaught, and I joined up that October, at 14/- (70p) a week. Now I want to sign up, metaphorically speaking, to protect the weak again.
I have joined the Friends of Gibraltar and am ready and willing to do all I can to assist in supporting my fellow citizens.
The injustice and weakness of failing to stand up for the rights of the private citizen against the power of governments is a worrying trend and a threat to world peace.
So I hope the government of Gibraltar will not stand and await the outcome of this dishonest dealing but will call a referendum, declare its independence and, if there is any further harassment from Spain, explore the avenues which may legally be open to the people of the Rock.
They have a right to live in freedom and peace, unfettered by a powerful and unfriendly neighbour, and it is something I am happy to help them uphold.


You can help by contacting Friends of Gibraltar UK or visit the FOGHS website, of which the Patron is HRH The Duke of Gloucester, KG GCVO and the President is The Baroness Hooper.

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