ISLINGTON AND THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR

Transcription

1 ISLINGTON AND THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR ROZ CURRIE, SUSAN HAHN, MEIRIAN JUMP

2 ISLINGTON AND THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR By Roz Currie, Susan Hahn, Meirian Jump Islington Heritage Service & Marx Memorial Library 2017 Your efforts were not in vain. Your ideals are part of our democracy in Spain today. Carles Casajuana, Spanish Ambassador to Britain

3 ISLINGTON AND THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR Timeline February 1936 The Republican Popular Front win the Spanish elections July 1936 Military coup against the government of the Spanish Republic. Civil war breaks out in Spain August 1936 Non-Intervention Agreement signed by western powers including France and Britain November 1936 Arrival of the International Brigades in Spain February 1937 Battle of Jarama March 1937 Battle of Guadalajara April 1937 Franco s northern offensive Guernica bombed by Rebels 26 April May ,000 Basque Children refugees arrive in Britain June 1937 Fall of Bilbao to Rebels July 1937 Battle of Brunete April 1938 Republican Spain divided by Rebel advance July-Nov 1938 Battle of the Ebro September 1938 International Brigades disbanded April 1939 Surrender of Republican Army November 1975 Death of General Franco June 1977 Democratic elections held in Spain 2

4 INTRODUCTION In July 1936 civil war broke out in Spain. Army generals staged a military coup against the elected government of the Spanish Republic. It was a brutal conflict. The Republicans fought hard to defend their centre-left government against the rebels, who were led by General The Spanish Civil War Postcard showing the 1936 military coup. (From the Press Office of the Regional Government of Catalonia under the Spanish Republic) Franco and supported by most of the military, the Catholic Church and Spain s Fascist Falangist party. Britain, with France and other western powers, decided on a policy of non-intervention. This meant buying arms was almost impossible for the Spanish Republic. In contrast, despite taking part in the Non-Intervention Committee, Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy sent troops, aircraft and arms to support General Franco. Only Mexico and the Soviet Union would sell arms to the Spanish Republic. Franco secured victory in March Support from Hitler and Mussolini, the German and Italian dictators, had proved crucial in overcoming the Spanish Republic, weakened by the policy of non-intervention. The Spanish Republic and its supporters had warned that a world war would be inevitable unless the rise of fascism was stopped in Spain. The Second World War began five months after the Republic s defeat. 3

5 THE INTERNATIONAL BRIGADES Fighting for the Spanish Republic Socialists and anti-fascists across the globe were inspired by the cause of the Spanish Republic. The Communist International was the main driving force in recruiting volunteers to fight for the Republic in the International Brigades. A total of 35,000 from over 50 countries went to Spain. The Republic Defends Itself Fighting Under One Command. (From the Press Office of the Spanish Republic) British International Brigaders return to the front line following convalescence in Benicassim, Spain. 2,500 volunteers came from Britain and Ireland, with over 30 from Islington. They included miners from South Wales, university students, labourers from shipyards on the Clyde and garment workers from Manchester and London s East End. Doctors, nurses and medical volunteers from Britain also went to Spain to give medical support to the International Brigades. 4

6 THE INTERNATIONAL BRIGADES Fighting for the Spanish Republic The threat of fascism at home motivated many to volunteer. The British Union of Fascists, founded in 1932, led marches throughout Britain and clashed with anti-fascists on the streets. The British Battalion of the International Brigades fought in most of the major battles in Spain, including Jarama, Brunete, Belchite, Teruel and the Ebro. Republican-held Spain Rebel-held Spain 5

7 Islington Story: Bosco Jones Bosco Jones was underage when he volunteered for the International Brigades but persuaded the recruiters that he was older given his involvement in the National Unemployed Workers Movement. He left for Spain on 20 December 1936 and arrived 29 December having walked over the Pyrenees during a terrible dark, cold night. He remained in Spain until the International Brigades were disbanded in September Bosco Jones was born in City Road and worked in the fur trade in the East End. He was a member of the Finsbury Young Communist League in the early 1930s and involved in anti-fascist activism including the Battle of Cable Street. He remained active politically for the rest of his life, as a member of the Finsbury Communist Party in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1964 he stood in the council election for the Barnsbury Ward. Above: Bosco Jones in Madrid. Left: A postcard he sent from Spain to a Young Communist League Comrade. 6

8 Islington Story: David Guest David Guest arrived in Spain in March Guest was an observer - an advance scout - with the British Battalion. He was killed at the Battle of Ebro on 28 July aged 26. Guest first took part in anti-fascist activism whilst studying in Germany in He joined the Communist Party at Cambridge University and, when he moved to London in 1933, he became active in the Young Communist League in Battersea. David lectured at the Marx Memorial Library in Clerkenwell in the 1930s and he was the son of Islington North MP Dr Leslie Haden Guest. Guest was teaching mathematics at University College, Southampton when he decided to go to Spain. He explains in a letter to his mother, It has required an incredible effort to concentrate on pure mathematics when the world seems on fire. David Guest meets Harry Pollitt, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain, who visited Spain several times during the conflict. 7

9 THE INTERNATIONAL BRIGADES Fighting for the Spanish Republic More than 500 British and Irish volunteers were killed, including 11 from Islington. Many more were wounded, half of those fighting for the International Brigade were injured during the war. A flyer advertising a memorial meeting for Alec Leppard, who died in Spain, at Finsbury Town Hall. Programme for a concert held in aid of the wounded and dependants of the International Brigade at Islington Town Hall in

10 THE INTERNATIONAL BRIGADES Fighting for the Spanish Republic In September 1938 the Republican government disbanded the International Brigades, hoping to put pressure on Franco to send home the much larger number of Italian and German forces fighting on his side. Dolores Ibárurri, leading Spanish communist politician known as La Pasionaria, said farewell to the International Brigades in Barcelona in November You are history. You are legend. You are the heroic example of the solidarity and the universality of democracy. Long live the heroes of the International Brigades! 9

11 REFUGEES FROM SPAIN Escaping the War General Franco s rebels and their German and Italian allies sent warplanes to bomb Spanish cities. Ordinary people were targeted in this campaign of terror from the air. Spain became a testing ground for the fascist dictators before the Second World War. The aftermath of the bombing of Guernica in Most famously, the town of Guernica was razed by Hitler s Condor Legion on 26 April It was market day and were killed. This was immortalised in Picasso s painting Guernica which is today on display in Madrid. Basque refugees in Carshalton, London. 10

12 REFUGEES FROM SPAIN Escaping the War Many Spaniards fled the country. In addition to political exiles, thousands of children were evacuated. As Franco s rebels advanced northwards in 1937, the Republic appealed to countries across the world to take the refugee children. A co-ordinating committee was established in the UK. It lobbied the government in Britain, which eventually allowed nearly 4,000 child refugees to come to Britain, but only on condition that no public money would be spent on them. Instead, the refugees, known as the Basque children, were cared for in colonies across the country. Funds were raised, volunteers were recruited and many people took the children into their own homes. Basque child refugees in Britain. 11

13 Islington Story: Leah Manning Leah Manning was MP for Islington East in Prior to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War Manning had visited Spain on several occasions. During the conflict she took supplies and visited frontline hospitals. She helped establish the Spanish Medical Aid Committee after disagreeing with the official Labour party line of non-intervention in Spain. She witnessed the bombing of Guernica in the spring of 1937, whilst arranging the evacuation of the Basque children to Britain on the SS Habana. She continued to be involved with the Basque children during their time in Britain, visiting different colonies and keeping their story in the spotlight. In 1938 Manning returned to Spain to write a report on the work undertaken by British doctors and nurses in Spain. Medical volunteers carry out a blood transfusion in a battle-field hospital in Leah Manning is pictured on the left. 12

14 Islington Story: Other Brigaders Harry (Balfour) Fraser -Tried to enlist in 1936 but was turned away for lack of military, medical or any other relevant experience. He served in the RAF for a year then successfully joined the International Brigades, serving with the machine gun company. Alfred Murrill -Arrived in Spain in February 1938 and was captured by the Italians 31st March. Murrill was held in two Prisoner of War camps where he lived on red beans and macaroni. He related his experience to the Islington Gazette. Of course, the picture I have given you is toned down. If I told you of the two young prisoners I saw who could not get up owing to weakness through dysentery and for their insubordination were tied to barbed wire for three hours; or of wounded soldiers given double strength iodine injections into their wounds, nobody would believe me. Ken Stalker and William Webb -Were both killed at Jarama. A memorial meeting was held for them in Islington Central Library in April Bill Stewart -Arrived in Spain in May The International Brigades magazine, Volunteer for Liberty, said of his dug-outs at Brunete, the fascists are still wondering if it is a coal-mine or the new Stepney to Salamanca Underground. He never recovered from his experience in Spain and died in December

15 AID SPAIN Support for the Republic in Britain In Britain a grass-roots movement grew in support of the Spanish Republic. This became known as Aid Spain and brought together people from across the political spectrum. When the war in Spain broke out, the leadership of the Demonstration against the policy of non-intervention in Aldgate, London. Labour Party supported the Conservative-led government s policy of non-intervention. But under pressure from its membership, backing was given in 1937 for Arms for Spain and other campaigns to support the Spanish Republic. Local groups around the country raised money for ambulances and medical supplies to be sent out to Spain. Funds were collected for food and milk for Spanish civilians. It is estimated that over 1 million was raised by the British people, equivalent to about 50 million today. The Hammersmith ambulance for Spain before its departure. 14

16 AID SPAIN Support for the Republic in Britain Members of Finsbury Young Communist League took a barrel organ door to door to collect food and money. In 1937 and 1938 Islington held a Spain Week organised by the Borough Labour Party and Trades Council. In 1937 they raised nearly 300. Funds and support came from meetings, film shows, concerts and talks. A demonstration in solidarity with the Spanish Republic at Islington Central Library. This milk token was bought on Upper Street, Islington to raise money to buy milk for the children of Spain. Spain Week 1938 in the Islington Gazette. 15

17 Islington Story: Reverend Iredell One of Islington s most active Aid Spain supporters was the Reverend Iredell. He was vicar at St Clement s Church, Barnsbury and was elected a Labour councillor for Lower Holloway ward in Iredell visited Spain on at least three occasions to investigate the alleged anti-clericalism of the Republic. In Spring 1937 he took a multi-denominational group of clergy to visit government-held areas including the Basque country. Spain Week in Islington in 1938 ended with a special evening service at St Clement s and he invited Islington Council to attend a service in July 1938 to commemorate the second anniversary of the start of the war. He also spoke at Memorial meetings for Islington International Brigaders. St Clement s Church, Barnsbury. Services were known to include the singing of the Internationale and the Red Flag and ended with a clenched fist salute and collections were taken to buy arms for Spain. 16

18 PROTEST BANNERS From the Marx Memorial Library The Spanish Collection at the Marx Memorial Library includes six banners from Hammersmith, used at marches and protests to raise awareness of the plight of Spanish Republic and its people. They reflect how Spain inspired a generation of activists and artists. The banners on the streets of London in (Courtesy Paul Cuff) Clockwise from left: The International Brigade banner, Food for Spain Banner, and Arms and Justice for Spain Banner. 17

19 PROTEST BANNERS From the Marx Memorial Library Hammersmith Communist Party Banner The man and woman on the left of the banner send greetings from London to soldiers in Spain on the right. A list of volunteers from Hammersmith runs down the centre. This banner was made by Laurence Bradshaw ( ), a member of the Artist s International Association and creator of the Karl Marx bust at the Highgate Cemetery. Ambulance for Spain Banner Hammersmith Aid Spain raised funds to send an ambulance to Spain. This banner was probably commissioned by the Hammersmith Labour and Trade Council. The ambulance bought through this campaign can be seen in the photograph on the right. This banner was created by artist and poet Julian Otto Trevelyan ( ), a member of the Artists International Association. 18

20 AFTER THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR Aftermath Following his victory in 1939, Franco ruled Spain with an iron fist. Many tens of thousands of Republican supporters were executed following the military uprising and thousands more fled. Demonstration outside the Spanish Embassy against the imprisonment of political opponents in Franco s jails in People who had supported the Spanish Republic hoped that Franco s regime would end with the Allied victory in the Second World War. But the onset of the Cold War protected the dictatorship and Franco presided over a repressive regime in which political opponents were imprisoned, tortured and executed until his death in In Britain, many of those involved in the Aid Spain movement continued their opposition to the dictatorship. MPs connected to Islington, including Dr Leslie Haden Guest, Labour MP for Islington North , joined campaigns on behalf of political prisoners, returning exiles and republican refugees in France. 19

21 AFTER THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR Aftermath Some International Brigaders became prominent public figures, such as the writer Laurie Lee and Jack Jones, leader of Britain s biggest trade union, the Transport and General Workers Union. In 1977 the first democratic elections in over 40 years were held in Spain. The International Brigade memorial on the Southbank is inscribed they went because their open eyes could see no other way. Today, the civil war and dictatorship remain contentious in Spain, with many refusing to come to terms with their country s violent past and the crimes of Franco. Every year in July people gather to remember the International Brigades at a memorial dedicated to the volunteers in Jubilee Gardens on London s Southbank. It was in Spain that [we] learned that one can be right and yet be beaten Albert Camus 20

22 ISLINGTON BRIGADERS Name Spanish Civil War History Other details William Bamborough Reginald Bayer William Beckett Thomas Bodker B Bolger Arrived 17 February 1937 Left September 1937 Arrived November 1936 Left 1937 Arrived 15 November 1937 Killed Aragon, March 1938 Arrived 22 December 1936 Left October 1938 Member of the 15 th Brigade, 2 nd in command of the 16 th Battalion. Shot through head whilst on patrol 8 April 1937 Died instantly Next of kin: Mrs Masters, 485 Caledonian Road Address: 3, King Henry Walk Walter Carr Arrived 2 April 1937 Wounded and repatriated Henry Daniels Arrived 4 January 1937 Repatriated from Gibraltar by ship, arrived London 7 September 1937 Henry Balfour Fraser Thomas Gibbons Arrived 27 August 1937 Left December 1938 Served as postman with machine gun company of the British Battalion August 1937 to October 1938 David Guest Arrived 31 March 1938 Killed Ebro/Gandesa 28 July 1938 Address: 34 Highbury Park Joined RAF in 1936 to get experience to join International Brigades Next of kin: Father, 15 Grange Road, N1 Communist, mathematics lecturer and philosopher. Worked at the Marx Memorial Library. 21

23 George Hatton Arrived August 1936 Left February 1937 George Hollanby Charles Holmes Bosco (William) Jones Charles Cyril Kent Arrived 26 October 1937 Killed Gandesa 31 March 1938 Arrived 7 February 1938 Left 25 October 1938 Prisoner of War at San Pedro de Cardena Arrived 29 December 1936 Repatriated September 1938 Infantryman and runner with the 15 th Brigade, British Battalion Arrive January 1937 Left 28 October 1938 Wounded twice and reported missing or killed. Prisoner of War at San Pedro de Cardena. Alec Leppard Arrived 7 January 1937 Killed Jarama 23 February 1937 Memorial Service Finsbury Town Hall, 12 April 1937 Member of Finsbury Young Communist League. Stood as Communist Party candidate in 1964 council elections. Branch secretary Islington Communist Party. Lived Chadworth Buildings, Lever Street. Member of Finsbury Young Communist League Terence McCarthy Arrived 5 May 1937 Left 18 December 1938 John Millie Arrived 4 February 1937 Left December 1938 Machine gunner British Army veteran. During WWII was an ARP stretcher bearer in Holborn William Moses also known as Bill or Jock Stewart Arrived 18 May 1937 Left 7 December 1938 Died in London December 1938 following injury in Spain A plumber s mate and trade unionist. Joined the Communist Party in Airdrie. 22

24 Alfred Murrill Arrived March 1938 Captured in March 1938 and imprisoned in San Pedro until October 1938, when he was repatriated. Joseph Pitman Arrived 24 February 1937 Killed Chimorra, April 1937 A fitter's mate from Holloway, was born in Clerkenwell in A member of the Islington North Branch of the Communist Party since Frank Quinlan Charles Spiller Arrived 24 April 1937 Drowned (accident) Mondejar June 1937 Arrived 9 October 1937 Left May 1938 Finsbury Young Communist League. One of seven Quinlan children living in College Street Islington in 1911 Ken Stalker Arrived 10 December 1936 Killed Jarama 12 February 1937 Sidney Stanley Arrived 1 October 1937 Left 1937 due to family problems at home. John Stevens Arrived December 1936 Killed Jarama 13 February Shot when captured. Denis Swinnerton Arrived 27 January 1937 Repatriated 1937 Wounded at Brunete and suffered from shell shock William Ward Arrived 21 February 1938 Left October 1938 W Webb Killed Jarama 1937 Memorial meeting with Ken Stalker, 12 April 1937, Central Library James Wheeler Arrived 7 January 1937 Killed Jarama, 18 February 1937 Member of Islington Communist Party from 1933, candidate in Tollington Ward election 1934 Engineer. Next of kin address: 9 Highbury Hill Islington Communist Party member. Address: 11 Queen s Cottages, Popham Street 23

25 FIND OUT MORE About the Spanish Civil War Marx Memorial Library holds the Spanish Collection the largest archive on the International Brigades and the Aid Spain movement in the UK. Open Monday to Thursday, Appointments recommended , Marx Memorial Library, 37a Clerkenwell Green, London, EC1R 0DU Islington Local History Centre holds local newspapers documenting the response to the civil war in Islington. Open by appointment only Islington Local History Centre, Finsbury Library, 245 St John Street, London, EC1V 4NB The International Brigade Memorial Trust is a charity dedicated to the memory of the International Brigades with a very informative website: Further reading: Richard Baxell, Unlikely Warriors. The British in the Spanish Civil War and the Struggle Against Fascism (Aurum Press, 2012) Adrian Bell, Only for Three Months: the Basque Children in Exile (Moushold Press, 2007) Tom Buchanan, Britain and the Spanish Civil War (Cambridge University Press, 2008) Helen Graham (ed.), Interrogating Francoism. History and Dictatorship in Twentieth Century Spain (Bloomsbury, 2016) Paul Preston, A Concise History of the Spanish Civil War (Harper Collins, 1996) With thanks to the International Brigade Memorial Trust, in particular Richard Baxell, volunteers and staff at Marx Memorial Library and Islington Heritage Service. 24

26 ISLINGTON AND THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR The Spanish Civil War ( ) was sparked by a military coup led by General Franco against Spain s elected government. Britain decided on non-intervention in the war, but people from across the world joined the International Brigades to fight the fascist-backed rebels. In Britain an Aid Spain movement sprang up to raise funds for food and medical supplies and to help refugees fleeing the war. This booklet explores the borough s story of the Spanish Civil War including Islington International Brigaders who fought in Spain and the local Aid Spain movement. Published by Islington Heritage Service, in partnership with the Marx Memorial Library Islington Museum 245 St John Street London EC1V 4NB Marx Memorial Library and Workers School 37a Clerkenwell Green London EC1R 0DU islington.museum@islington.gov.uk Museum m.jump@marx-memorial-library.org.uk