April 22, 2025

On our last visit to Gibraltar on December 10, 2024, I wrote in my blog that Gibraltar was not worth a special visit. I saw in primarily as a refueling stop between Northern Africa and Southern Europe. I think I feel into the trap like tourists that come to the United States and visit New York, Chicago and L.A. and think they know America. Like a first date, with limited time sometimes you try and quickly find out all you can and fail to capture the essence of your experience. I did not realize the significance of this Overseas British Territory, so this blog is my apology to Gibraltar and my attempt to educate you as to why this perfect piece of real estate meant naval prominence and global power to those who owned it. In my research, I also found out why Winston Churchill’s quirky nature and superstitions helped secure Britian’s control even though France and Spain tried 14 times to wrestle The Rock away. Britian was not letting go.

Gilbralter is a mere bump under the coast of Spain that measures only 5 km in space but for centuries empires have fought over it with the intensity normally reserved for gold mines, oil or family inheritances. Napolean actually called Gibraltar “The Padlock of the Mediterranean,” the gateway so strategically placed that whoever controlled it could theoretically control access to the entire military/commercial sea routes.

Here is a quick history:

The ancient Pharisees thought Gibraltar was the edge of the known world.

In 711 AD Muslim forces called it “The Mount” which later translated to “The Rock.”

From 1492 until 1704 it was controlled by the Spanish.

In 1713, the British took over control and Spain has never gotten over it.

From 1779-1783 thousands of French and Spanish troops surrounded The Rock and tried to stare out the British. The Rock proved remarkedly resistant under the seize. The British dug tunnels into and through the limestone and like an imperial Whack-A-Mole game they crushed all invaders.

Interestingly, Gibraltar is inhabited by a wild monkey population. Pesty, they will steal snacks as well as iPhones from tourists’ backpacks. Noone knows exactly how they got here, maybe by ships from North Africa. The legend is that Gibraltar will remain British as long as the monkeys stay. So, what did Winston Churchill do? He did what any reasonable war time leader would do. During World War II, he commissioned a military transport from North Africa with British soldiers on board to look after monkeys being sent to protect this military asset. Hilariously, in 2008, some of the relatives of those monkeys had to be exiled back to North Africa for antisocial behavior. This was the first time I ever heard of monkeys being deported for being hoodlums!

This was not the only quirky/superstitious behavior I learned about Winston Churchill. There is another legend that if the ravens who occupy The Tower of London ever fly away, the crown will fall and Britian with it. During World War II the raven population decreased to just one because of the bombing raids. Churchill ordered his staff to immediately bring in more ravens and clip their wings so that they could not leave the tower. To this day, ravens still remain in the tower and the crown has not fallen.

Now back to the importance of The Rock of Gibraltar.

In World War II, Britian expecting a German invasion through Spain (which never happened) turned The Rock into a strategic fortress. If Gibraltar fell to the Nazis a small team of British spies would be sealed inside a chamber in The Rock. From there through tiny openings, they would radio any information back to Britian. They had enough food and water to last a year. Once sealed in the spies would be buried alive if they were not rescued. Psychological toughness was a requirement and cyanide capsules were provided if needed. The operation was so secret that it was not until 1997 when explorers discovered the sealed chamber. Obviously, the spies had been rescued beforehand. But to think that a British spy with a radio could outwit The Third Reich only added to the residents of Gibraltar’s pride. This was the chess piece that could not be lost, and it wasn’t.

As I shared Spain has never gotten over losing control of Gibraltar to Britian. How do I know? Spain still claims Gibraltar. But the residents of Gibraltar overwhelmingly vote to remain British; 99.6% in the latest election.

Power hides in strange places. The stubbornness of a people to say “no” fourteen times to invaders is not readily seen on the main street of Gibraltar today.

What makes a place belong to someone? Is it the flag planted, the language spoken or the food sold on the street? Residents of Gibraltar speak English and Spanish with ease, the food is a cultural stew of mixed flavors, and you will see red telephone booths next to tapas shops. No, sometimes an identity emerges because of how hard you fought to keep it. That type of pride is hard to extinguish.

That is what I missed during my first visit.

Gibraltar, I owe you an apology.

Thanks for traveling with us.