Approximately 670 civilians (five hundred women and 50 children) lived in the Alcázar for the duration of the siege. Many of these were the family members of the "Guardia Civil" while others had fled from the advancing Republican militias. The women were given no role in the defence of the Alcázar; they were not even allowed to cook or nurse the wounded. However, their presence in the Alcázar provided the men with the moral courage to continue the defence. The civilians were kept safe from Republican attacks, the five civilians that died were due to natural causes. There were two births during the siege. One of the babies born, who eventually became an officer in the Spanish military, was expelled from the Army in the late 1970s for joining the UMD.