Didn't know this. "As the front door closed behind Manuel Cortes, there was a moment's hesitation. Then, as he took his first step onto the cobbled street, the 64-year-old lost his footing, his wife Juliana offering a steadying arm to prevent him falling. Later he would reveal it was his shoes that had been the problem — he simply wasn't used to wearing them. Why? Because for 30 years, Cortes had worn only slippers. The reason? He had spent those three decades hiding inside the family home. For part of that time, he had been concealed in a secret cubbyhole barely big enough to stand up in. If the coast was clear, he would emerge to spend time with his wife and daughter. But such was the risk of him being discovered, no one else from the village of which he had once been mayor had the slightest inkling he was there. Even on the day his daughter married, he could not be present — only catching a glimpse of her in her dress through a keyhole before she left for the church. Because, for Cortes, capture meant almost certain death. Having fought for the losing side in the Spanish Civil War, he had fled back home in 1939 only to find himself effectively trapped. In a conflict that had pitted neighbour against neighbour, the victors' revenge was swift and brutal as supporters of General Franco purged their Leftist opponents. While some fled and joined guerrilla groups, dozens like Cortes went to ground in their own homes, fashioning hiding places behind false walls or in hastily dug tunnels. And there they would stay, hoping and waiting for the day the regime crumbled and they could finally re-emerge. But it would be 30 years before the men — subsequently nicknamed the 'moles' — would finally be granted an amnesty and be able to set foot in a very changed world. Now their extraordinary experiences have been turned into an award-winning film, The Endless Trench." www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8162279/Defeated-fascists-Spanish-Civil-War-dozens-rebels-hid-tiny-spaces.html