Hall, Chris British Volunteers and the Spanish Civil War

The Passionate Cause, 1936-39

Ninety years ago, civil war broke out in a country that was little known at the time. For thousands of British, Irish and Commonwealth citizens, the Spanish Civil War was the focus of their attention for three years. Over 2,500 British (including Irish and Commonwealth) men and women fought in the International Brigades or served in the medical corps of the Spanish Republic. Over 500 volunteers were to die in Spain. Other British volunteers served as mercenary pilots and in the revolutionary militias (including George Orwell); some even fought on the side of the rebels. At home, thousands participated in Spanish Aid activities, collecting donations for food transports and medical supplies for Republican Spain. During the civil war, 4,000 Basque refugee children were supported by public donations. Picasso's painting Guernica toured England to raise funds. This is the story of ordinary men and women, told in their own words and full of emotions ranging from ecstasy to despair. Many volunteers later fought in the Second World War, and some became leading figures in post-war Britain. For many volunteers, however, the Spanish Civil War was the passionate cause and the defining episode of their lives.