Spanish Soldiers Recall Harsh Realities of Mandatory Service in Morocco

At the age of 20, all men entered the army and were drafted to do compulsory military service in Moroccan garrisons for two to six years. "Until 1912, the upper classes or those with sufficient economic means could avoid military service for their children thanks to two legal options: substitution, sending another person in their place, or cash redemption, paying the State fixed amounts," explains Joaquín de la Santa Cinta in his work "The Spanish ulcer in Africa. Heroes fallen in 25 years of war".

Many young people were sent to "hell" during the Rif War. This is perhaps the most terrible period for these fifth-class soldiers. According to historian Gabriel Cardona, military service in the Sahara and Sidi Ifni in 1956 was even worse than northern Morocco. Adolfo Cano recounts on his blog and later in his book entitled "Ifni 1957-198. Without historical memory", the adventure of these fifth-class soldiers embarked on this war. "This terrible odyssey began in Valencia, from where we left for Cadiz in a train with wooden benches facing each other," he recalls.