World War II: Stalling of Civil Rights
Stalling of the process towards civil rights was due to the Second World War, which made military considerations paramount over civilian rights. Gibraltar was correctly judged to have been in acute danger from invasion from Adolf Hitler, with the Nazi blitzkrieg attack plan dubbed Operation Felix. Although the British press carried stories about the possibility of a Spanish invasion, British intelligence was mostly worried about the Nazis. At the beginning of 1941, the Governor assumed all the powers of the City Council and the Executive Council was suspended.
In 1939, there were 21,000 people in Gibraltar, mostly civilians. In 1941, approximately 16,700 civilians, women, children and other non-combatants, judged to be a hindrance to a fortress at war, were evacuated. Destinations included Jamaica, Madeira, Northern Ireland and London. The repatriation of the civilians began in 1944, and continued until 1951. Approximately 2,000 persons did not return and settled down in Britain.
Read more about this topic: History Of Nationality In Gibraltar
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