Former President of Argentina Juan Peron and his fourth wife Isabelita - his one-time secretary - knelt side by side yesterday (Sunday) at a memorial Mass in Madrid to his first wife, Eva, who died twelve years ago.

Many of the crowd waiting outside the church were Argentineans resident in Spain and some in exile - as General Peron has been for several years. Also at the Mass was Otto Skorzeny, the former Nazi SS Colonel who kidnapped Mussolini from partisans in 1943. He is now a real estate agent in Madrid.

Peron's rare trip was from his exile "fortress" near Madrid -na villa where dogs and police with tommy-guns guard the grounds.

General Peron seemed quite recovered from his abdominal operation last February and only two weeks ago announced his intention to return to the Argentine. Last year Argentina requested his extradition.

After nine years of power in the Argentine, General Peron's regime was overthrown by armed revolution in the autumn of 1955. Since then he has lived abroad.