Fernando Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja to be amputated without anaesthesia due to the scarcity of resources available at their position and he succumbed shortly after to gangrene. For his actions in battle, Primo de Rivera was commended for the Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand, awarded posthumously in 1923. Fernando Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja Fernando Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja (Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz) 30 July 1879 - Mount Arruit, Morocco, 5 August 1921) was a Spanish soldier, brother of the dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja and uncle of Falange’s founder José Antonio Primo de Rivera. He entered the Cavalry School in
Miguel Primo de Rivera several important military posts including the captain-generalship of Valencia, Madrid and Barcelona. He showed courage and initiative in battles against the Berbers of the Rif region in northern Morocco, and promotions and decorations came steadily. Primo de Rivera became convinced that Spain probably could not hold on to its North African colony. For many years, the government had tried without success to crush the Berber rebels, wasting lives and money. He concluded Spain must withdraw from what was called Spanish Morocco if it could not dominate the colony. He was familiar with Cuba and the Philippines; in 1898 he watched