IBMT Newsletter www.international-brigades.org.uk Issue 31 / NewYear 2012 INTERNATIONAL BRIGADE MEMORIALTRUST Lecturetoprobe civilwar’shuman rightslegacy There will be a contemporary focus to the IBMT’s annual Len Crome Memorial Lecture this year, with American historian Peter N Carroll looking at the continuing impact of the Spanish CivilWar. Entitled “The Spanish CivilWar in the 21st Century: From Guernica to Human Rights”, the lecture is to be delivered at London’s ImperialWar Museum on Saturday 3 March. The talk begins at 2.30pm and will be chaired by Professor Paul Preston. It will be followed by a question-and-answer session. In the morning, the IBMT will screen two short films: Henri Cartier-Bresson’s “With the Lincoln Brigade in Spain” and “The International Brigaders Among Us” – the British première of a new documentary on the British and American Brigaders before the Battle of the Ebro in 1938.The film session SALUTE: BritishBrigaderDavidLomon(left)withformercomradesErikEllman(secondfromright)fromEstoniaand begins at 11.30am. thebrothersJosephandVincentAlmudevarfromFranceinfrontofthenewmemorialinMadrid’sUniversityCity. Peter N Carroll is the leading historian of the US volunteers who went to Spain and is the author and editor of 17 books.They include “Facing Fascism: NewYork and the Spanish Memorialunveiledon75thanniversary CivilWar” (2007), “The Odyssey of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade: Americans in the ofcreationofInternationalBrigades Spanish CivilWar” (1994) and the memoir “KeepingTime” (2011). He is also Chair Emeritus of the board of governors of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives (ALBA) and co-curator of two travel - ReturntoMadrid ing exhibitions: “Shouts From theWall: Posters of the Spanish CivilWar” (with Cary The75thanniversaryoftheformationofthe Alargecrowdassembledatthesiteofthenew Nelson) and “They Still Draw Pictures: InternationalBrigadeswascommemoratedin memorialtohearBritishBrigaderDavidLomon, Children’s Art inWartime From the Spanish SpaininOctoberbyaweekofeventsinMadrid, aged93,speakwithdignityandpowertoremem - CivilWar to Kosovo” (with Anthony L Geist). AlbaceteandBarcelona.Theseincludedvisitsto berthecourageofthe35,000foreignvolunteers He is the editor of ALBA’s TheVolunteer and thetrainingbasesatMadriguerasandTarazona, whofoughtwiththeSpanishpeopleagainstthe teaches history at Stanford University, concerts,academicdiscussions,actsofremem - fascistmenace.“Today,morethanever,wesay: California, specialising in American film. branceandfilmshows. ‘¡Nopasarán!’”,hedeclaredasthecrowderupted Now in its 11th year, the IBMT’s lecture ThehighlightoftheprogrammeinMadridatthe insustainedapplause. series is named after Len Crome (1909-2001), startoftheweekwastheinaugurationofanew TheUniversityCitywasthesceneoffiercefight - who was working as a GP in Lancashire when memorialtotheInternationalBrigadesinthe inginNovemberandDecember1936duringthe he volunteered to go to Spain, where he heartofMadrid’sUniversityCityon22October.It defenceofMadridanditwastherethatthefirst became chief medical officer of the Inter- was75yearstothedaysinceLargoCaballero, volunteersunderwenttheirbaptismoffire. national Brigades. PrimeMinisteroftheSpanishRepublic,had Designedbyteachersandstudentsattheuni - signedthedecreeauthorisingtheformationof versity’sfacultyoffinearts,thememorial See“Diarydates”forthefullprogrammeon3March: militaryunitsofforeignvolunteers. Continued on back page page15. IBMT FROMTHESECRETARY Keepingalivethememoryand spiritofthemenandwomenwho volunteeredtodefenddemocracy RememberingtheBrigaders inSpainfrom1936to1939 onRemembranceDay? InternationalBrigade ByJimJump Republic in 1936. Some IBMT members have MemorialTrust often complained that by choosing a date in July ongratulations to the ITV Sport producers we are effectively commemorating the anniver - www.international-brigades.org.uk who beamed the image (see facing page) sary of a fascist uprising.The matter was raised Charityno: 1094928 of a football fan holding a placard saying again and discussed at our annual general meet - Patrons :KenLivingstoneandPaulPreston C “We also remember XVth International Brigade ing in London on 1 October last year.The meeting Secretary: JimJump British Battalion ’36” to millions ofTV viewers was assured that we would keep it under review, 6StonellsRoad,LondonSW116HQ during the live broadcast on 12 November of the though designating a different day – perhaps in 020 -72286504 England-Spain football match at London’s February, anniversary of the Battle of Jarama, or [email protected] Wembley Stadium.The image appeared on October, when the International Brigades were President: MarleneSidaway screen for several seconds during the two- formed – would present other difficulties with our 020-85556674 minute silence for Britain’s war dead that was timetable of events for the year. marlenesidaway @hotmail.com observed before the kick-off. The identity of the holder of the placard is Don’tmissthisyear’sevent Chair: DoloresLong unknown. Nor is it known whether ITV Sport This year’s national commemoration will take 0161-2262013;[email protected] understood its significance, as the dead of the place on London’s South Bank on Saturday 7 July. Treasurer: (vacancy) Spanish CivilWar are not included in the official It promises to be a special occasion as Jubilee treasurer@ international-brigades.org.uk “red poppy” acts of remembrance. Gardens will only recently have been reopened IrelandSecretary:ManusO’Riordan TheWembley incident rekindled the debate after redevelopment. As part of the works, our +353-87-6784727 about whether there should be recognition of the memorial, with its magnificent sculpture by Ian [email protected] International Brigades on Remembrance Day. Walters, is being moved a short distance to a far When the suggestion came up a few years ago better spot within the park and will have low-level MembershipSecretary: MaryGreening it was firmly rejected by veterans Jack Jones and seating around it, making it more visible.We will 2WoodfordClose,CardiffCF52PH Sam Lesser, who were IBMT trustees at the time. also be unveiling a new plaque beside the memo - 029-20195412 I suspect that many IBMT members would still rial giving more background information on the memsec@internationa l-brigades.or g.uk be deeply uneasy about the idea, not least International Brigades. Put the date in your diary. EducationOfficer: RichardThorpe because in recent years the occasion has also 01724-798615;t horpe.ortiz@ btinternet.com been used to bang the drum for what many peo - Nevertooold MerchandiseOfficer: ChrisHall ple regard as highly contentious wars in IBMT members who follow political develop - 0161-8617448;[email protected] Afghanistan and Iraq. ments in Spain will probably have been disap - Having said all that, it’s interesting to note that pointed, though hardly surprised, to see the rul - Other Executive Committee members: when veterans returned from Spain they did ing PSOE socialist party – which enacted the Mike Anderson, Mike Arnott, Richard organise wreath-laying at the Cenotaph and 2007 Law of Historic Memory that conferred Baxell, Rodney Bickerstaffe, Pauline other war memorials to remember their dead Spanish citizenship on International Brigade vet - Fraser, Hilary Jones, Mick Jones, Duncan comrades (see cutting on facing page). erans – voted out of office in the country’s general Longstaff election on 20 November last year.The victors Membership applications, renewals and LookintheMirror were the rightwing Popular Party. queries should be sent to Membership Perhaps the football fan who held the placard at But there was at least one bright Secretary Mary Greening. All other correspon - Wembley had read an article praising the spot in the election campaign: Dr dence should go to Secretary Jim Jump. International Brigades by Daily Mirror columnist Moises Broggi (left) stood for Annual membership rates are £15 standard; Brian Reade two days before the match. He election to the Spanish Senate as £7.50 concessions; £20 family (single wrote: “AsEnglandfaceSpainthisRemembrance a candidate for the Catalan household); affiliating organisations by weekend,weshouldbeaskingifthetimehas Republican Left (ERC) party. Now arrangement. Further details and forms are comeforBritaintofullyhonour,notjustthose aged 103, Broggi was a field sur - available from the Membership Secretary. whofellatFlandersandtheSomme,butthose geon in the International Brigades’ medical serv - whoseblooddrenchedthefieldsofJarama, ices during the Spanish CivilWar and a close col - AragonandBrunete.I’mtalkingaboutourmem - league of many British medics.Though the bersoftheInternationalBrigadewho,in1936, Barcelona-based veteran was unsuccessful in his wenttoSpaintofightGeneralFranco’sfascists election bid, he proved that you’re never too old IBMT NEWSLETTER aftertheyhadoverthrowntheRepublicangovern - to get involved and – as many on the left are fond TheIBMTNewsletter ispublishedthree mentwiththehelpofHitlerandMussolini.” of saying – the struggle keeps you young. timesayearandissentfreetoallmembers. Backnumberscanbedownloadedfromthe IsJulytherightmonth? Timelydonation IBMTwebsiteon[www.international- The IBMT, just as the International Brigade Thanks must go to Harriet Hall for her £500 dona - brigades.org.uk/newsletter.htm].Sendall Association before us, has always organised our tion to the IBMT. Harriet is the daughter of itemsforthenextissuetotheEditorby annual act of commemoration in London – which Stephen Clark, who during the Spanish