Being a catalan nationalist, he is forced to exile to England after the Spanish Civil War. During World War II, he helped in organizing medical emergency services there. His use of a new method for the treatment of open wounds and fractures helped saving a great number of lives during the war.
Trueta formed part of a group of catalans exiled in the United Kingdom, which denounced the situation of Catalonia under Franco's regime. He wrote The Spirit of Catalonia, a book aimed at explaining catalan history to the anglosaxon society.
He was Professor of Orthopaedy at the University of Oxford. He retired in 1966, and returned to Catalonia.
The main Hospital in Girona has been named in his honour.\n