Gibraltar – 200 years of history in the Spectator

The most dramatic part of Lothar-Günther Buchheim’s unmatched submarine novel, Das Boot, takes place beneath the Straits of Gibraltar, when Buchheim’s U-boat is ordered from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. ‘How can we get through?’ Asks one of the luckless crew, certain that Gibraltar’s massive defences will be the death of them. At least 9 U-boats were destroyed making that perilous run during the Second World War.

The story of Gibraltar is not merely a tale of garrisons and gunships. The Spectator’s unique archive provides some insight into the life of the colony over the last 200 years, especially at times when the Rock became embroiled in Spanish intrigue or when it was threatened by Madrid’s aggression. Such episodes invariably coincide with periods of weakness or chaos in Spain.

In April 1831, our correspondent noted that ‘Some attempts have been made on the side of Gibraltar to excite a rising among the apathetic Spaniards against their lord; but in vain.’