IBMT Magazine www.international-brigades.org.uk Issue 46 / 3-2017 INTERNATIONAL BRIGADE MEMORIALTRUST Atth eannu al IBM T PICTURED (clockwisefromtopleft): Wreathsandflowersatthe memorial;cyclistsfromtheNationalClarionCyclingClub1895setting offforNewhavenandonwardtoBarcelonatorememberClarion CyclingClubmemberswhofoughtinSpain,includingfourwhogave theirlives;MeirianJump,manageroftheMarxMemorialLibraryand grand-daughterofInternationalBrigaderJamesJump,layingawreath; Na-maraplayingtothegathering. Photos,includingthoseonfacingpage:AndrewWiard commemorationonLondon’sSouthbank ON DECK: HerminioMartínez,withaphotoof theshipHabanathatbroughthimandnearly 4,000otherchildrefugeestoBritainin1937. RIGHT (fromtop): LenMcCluskey,MaddyCarty, ToshMcDonald,PaulPrestonandNa-mara. RoyalNavybytheinternationalnon-interventiontreaty. Talesofexile Hecontrastedtheirbehaviour,andthatofGeorge Steer,thereporterwhobrokethestoryofthebombingof Guernicatotheworld,withthepusillanimousattitudeof andinspiration theBritishgovernmenttowardsthefascistdictators. MusicatthecommemorationwasprovidedbyMaddy undredsgatheredattheInternationalBrigade CartyandNa-mara,wholedthesingingof‘Valleyof memorialonLondon’sSouthbankonSaturday Jarama’,oftencalledthe‘SongoftheBritishBattalion’. HIJulytorememberthe2,500volunteersfrom Unite’sLenMcCluskeysingledouttwovolunteers BritainandIrelandwhofoughtfascismintheSpanish whowenttoSpainfromtheT&G,aforerunnerofUnite,as CivilWar–includingthe526whodiedinSpain. examplesforthelabourmovementtoday. TheyheardspeechesfromLenMcCluskey,General JackJones,formerGeneralSecretaryoftheT&G,was SecretaryofUnite,andToshMacDonald,Presidentofthe ‘apersonalfiendofmineandaheroofmine’.Wounded traindrivers’unionASLEF,whobothpraisedthe attheEbro,hecamehometofightforworkingpeople. inspirationalexampleofinternationalismandsolidarity ‘HeneverforgotthoseformativeexperiencesinSpain, set80yearsagobytheInternationalBrigades. workingtokeepthespiritoftheInternationalBrigades Amovingcontributioncamefromanotherguest aliveandtheirexamplefreshforanewgeneration.’ speaker,HerminioMartínez.Agedsevenatthetime,he TheUniteleaderadded:‘BillBriskey,anEastLondon wasoneofthenearly4,000childrefugeeswhoarrived busdriverwhowaskilledatJarama,saidbeforethe inSouthampton80yearsagoon23May1937toescape battle:“Atleastifthefascistsgetmetheywillnotgetmy theterrorbombingofSpain’sBasqueCountrybyHitler unioncard”–he’dleftitwithhisT&Gbranchsecretary.’ andMussolini,Franco’salliesintheSpanishCivilWar. Lencontinued:‘Ourmovementisstrongertodaynot HerminionotedthattheBritishgovernmentatfirst becauseithastheoccasionalextraordinaryindividual refusedtogivesanctuarytothechildren,andonly likeJackJones,butbecauseithasthousandsofBill consentedtodosofollowingapublicoutcryinreactionto Briskeys,whowilldowhateverittakesfordemocracy thedestructionofGuernicaon26April1937.The andjusticeandwhoarethebackboneofourmovement.’ governmentinsistedthatnopublicfundswouldbe ForASLEF,ToshMcDonaldexpressedtheviewthat, spentontheupkeepoftheniñosvascos (Basque justastheSpanishCivilWarhadbeenthegreatcauseof children),astheywerecalled. youngpeopleinthe1930s,orthattheanti-apartheid MostofthechildrenwhoarrivedinEnglandonboard strugglehadbeenthegreatcauseofhisgeneration,the theHabanawereeventuallyreunitedwiththeirparents, plightofthePalestinianpeoplewastheequivalentfor whetherinSpainorinexile.ButforHerminioandsome manyyoungpeopletoday.Hisremarkswerewarmly 400othersBritainbecametheirhome. applauded,butpromptedawalk-outbytherepresentative ‘Iwanttoexpressourdeepestthanksandgratitudeto oftheAssociationofJewishEx-Servicemen&Womenin theBritishpeople,’hesaid.‘Theywerewonderfulinthe protestatthecriticismofIsrael. supporttheygaveus.Somepeoplegaveyearsoftheir livestosupportandlookafterus.’ FortheIBMTstatementonthereactiontoToshMcDonald’s IntroducingHerminio,SpanishCivilWarhistorian speech,seetheNews&BlogpageoftheIBMTwebsite: PaulPreston–whoistheIBMT’sFoundingChair– [www.international-brigades.org.uk].AvideoofLen praisedtheBritishseacaptainsandcrewswhodefied McCluskey’sspeechcanbefoundontheIBMT YouTubepage: theblockadeofBilbaothathadbeenentrustedtothe [www.youtube.com/user/IBMTnews]. IBMT Magazine 3-2017 IBMT MAGAZINE Issueno.46 3-2017 Coverpicture ONSTAGE: Amongthose School students(right)aged15- attendingthe 18fromtheArchbishop unveilingon SentamuAcademyinHull 10Juneofthe haveperformed‘Ocho’,a newmemorialinOxford(seepage9)was newplayabouttheeight DavidCarr,picturedhereholdingaphotoof InternationalBrigade hisuncleGeorgeTurnill,ofWorksop, volunteersfromHull. Nottinghamshire,whowaskilledinthe Writtenbyaward- BattleofTeruelinJanuary1938,aged25.The winningplaywrightJane bannerwasmadespeciallyforamemorial Thorntonandfeaturing meetingforTurnillinWorksopinFebruary musicbyDaveRotheray, leadguitaristforThe 1938and,accordingtoDavid,hasnotbeen BeautifulSouth(both publiclydisplayeduntiltheeventinOxford. picturedabove),‘Ocho’– 6 GrahamDaviessurveystheWelsh whichmeanseightin involvementinthe SpanishCivilWar Spanish’–wasstagedat venuesinBeverley, 9 Oxfordmemorialisunveiled Goole,HullandBarcelona 10 Secretarialnotes inJuneandJuly. 12 Franco’smausoleumandSpain’s struggletocometotermswithitsrecentpast 14 WomenforSpain:abiographicaltribute 17 GerbenZaagsmalooksatthemotivesof JewswhojoinedtheInternationalBrigades 18 Books,includingstudiesofRobertCapa andGerdaTarot,Jewishvolunteersandthe bombingofGuernica 22 RememberingHughSloan NEWPLAQUE:Amemorial(left) totheInternationalBrigade volunteersfromRenfrewshirewas unveiledon13May.Located TheIBMTMagazine (formerlytheIBMT outsideRenfrewshireCouncil’s Newsletter )ispublishedthreetimesayear officesinPaisley,itwasraised andissentfreetoallmembers.Backnumbers withhelpfromPaisley&District canbedownloadedfromtheIBMTwebsiteon TradesUnionCouncil, [www.international-brigades.org.uk / RenfrewshireCouncilandothers. newsletter.htm].Allcontentisthe copyright©oftheIBMTandcredited contributorsandcannotbereproduced withoutwrittenpermission. Editor JimJump IBMT 37aClerkenwellGreen,LondonEC1R0DU TOGETHER AGAIN:Therewere 02072538748 eightniñosvascos (right)atthe [email protected] annualreunionofthe‘Basque children’whoarrivedinBritainas refugees80yearsagoinMay1937. InternationalBrigadeMemorialTrust TheymetforlunchatLondon’sMeliá www.international-brigades.org.uk WhiteHouseHotelon28May.Nearly Registeredcharityno.1094928 4,000wereontheHabana whenit sailedfromBilbaotoSouthamptonto escapeFranco’soffensiveandterror bombingcampaignagainstthe SpanishRepublic’snorthernenclave. Mostwereeventuallyreunitedwith theirparentsinSpainorabroad,while otherssettledinBritain. International Brigade Memorial Trust ALLSMILES:DavidHeywood(left)andNeilGoreintheMarx MemorialLibrary’smemorialgarden,nexttotheplaque BANNERSBRIGHT: Aspartoftheprogrammeofeventsforthe‘BannersfromSpain’exhibition(above), namingtheBritishBattaliondeadattheBattleoftheEbro. whichranatIslingtonMuseuminLondonfrom5Mayto8July,aspecial‘IslingtonBannerforSpain’was madebyavolunteerworkshoprunbyrenownedbanner-makerEdHall.Picturedbelowaresomeofthe banner-makersatitsunveilingon19June.ThebannerwasdisplayedattheIBMT’scommemorationon London’sSouthbankon1July,withworkshopmembersvowingtobringittotheeventevery year. Whatarideit’sbeen! TheexhibitionshowcasedsixnewlyrestoredbannersfromthearchivesoftheMarxMemorialLibrary TheIBMTsaidthankyouandfarewelltoTownsend (MML),whichhadbeenmadeforHammersmithCommunistPartyduringtheSpanishCivilWar. Productionsfollowingthesuccessof‘DareDevilRidesto A24-pagebooklet,‘IslingtonandtheSpanishCivilWar’,waspublishedbyIslingtonMuseumand Jarama’,theirplaycentredonthelifeofspeedwaysuperstar theMMLfortheexhibition.WrittenbyRozCurrie,SusanHahnandMeirianJump,alimitednumberof andInternationalBrigadevolunteerClemBeckett. copiesareavailableonrequestfromtheIBMT(withastampedaddressedA5envelope). ThelastscheduledperformancesendedinMay–eight monthsaftertheplay,whichwascommissionedbytheIBMT, begantouringvenuesaroundtheUK. InfactthefinaltwoperformancescameattheTolpuddle Martyrs’FestivalinDorsetinJuly,whereitwasstagedinthe GMBunion’smarqueeontwoconsecutivenights. ‘DareDevilRidestoJarama’wonpraisefromaudiencesand criticsalike,withtheMorningStar reviewerdeclaringitwas ‘quitesimplythebest politicaltheatreproducedfor along,longtime’. TheIBMThasformally thankedNeilGore, scriptwriterandactor, fellowactorDavidHeywood andLouiseTownsendof TownsendProductions. TownsendProductions nextturntheirattention tothefamousGrunwick strikeofthe1970s.Their newplay,‘WeAreThe LionsMrManager’, beginstouringin Octoberthisyear. ANTIFAS CISTAS:THE IBMT EXHIBITIONTHATTELLSTHE STORY OFTHE VOLUNTEERS ToborrowtheexhibitionfordisplayatalocaleventcontactourExhibitionCoordinator: [email protected]/tel:02072538748 Welshatwar WELSHMENATBRUNETE:PicturedinAugust1937,backrowfromleft:AlwynSkinner (killedattheEbro,1938),FredMorris,BenDavies,CEPalmer;middlerowfromleft:Archie Cook,HectorManning,HarryDobson(killedattheEbro,1938),ArthurWilliams;frontrow fromleft:JackRoberts,TedEdwards,MorrisDavies. AstheIBMTpreparestoholdits2017AnnualGeneralMeetingand CommemorationWeekendinCardiffon13-15October,GRAHAMDAVIES , authorofanewbookonWalesandtheSpanishCivilWar,surveysthe involvementofWelshvolunteersintheconflict–fromearlyFrancosupporters andfightersinRepublicanmilitiasthroughtohowtheInternationalBrigaders wereregardedontheirreturnhome. yengagementwiththethemeoftheWelshintheSpanishCivilWar withO’Duffy’sIrishBrigade.Hisideologyhadlittletocommenditthenand beganafewyearsagofollowingamesmerisingassaultonthe hasevenlesscurrencytoday 4. MsensesfromthemasterpiecebyPabloPicasso–his‘Guernica’– BeforetheInternationalBrigadeshadbeensetuptherewerealready