IBMT Newsletter www.international-brigades.org.uk Issue 34 / 1-2013 INTERNATIONAL BRIGADE MEMORIAL TRUST Joe Gough Farewell to last two portrait Brigaders brings in Britain Luton’s anti-fascist hero back to life Bike r’s journey from Wall of Death to Battle of Jarama Why I’m proud of my captured grandfather Plus: The war that continued in Spain after 1939 For booking details see page 26 NEWS IBMT mourns loss of last two volunteers in Britain The last two known International Brigade veter - Issue 34 / 1-2013 ans in Britain have died. They were Lou Kenton, Cover story who passed away on 17 September at the age Frank Casey’s new painting shines light on of 104, and David Lomon, who was 94 when he Luton’s anti-fascist roots died on 21 December. 7 The deaths leave one surviving British volunteer with whom the IBMT is in contact: News Stan Hilton, who lives in a nursing home in …including IBMT’s Annual General Meeting; Yarrawonga, Australia. appointment of more IBMT Patrons; Lou Kenton was a life-long political activist. A new memorials in Dublin veteran of the Battle of Cable Street, he went to 3-8 Spain in the summer of 1937 and served as a From the Secretary despatch rider and ambulance driver. 9-10 Manchester-born David Lomon attended sev - Features eral IBMT-supported events in Britain and Spain AC Williams; Spain’s guerrilla war in the last two years of his life, including one in Lou Kenton (left) at home with his ceramics collection and David Lomon in Madrid in November last year. after 1939; volunteers in the Carlist Wars; November only weeks before his death. British technicians in Spain’s aircraft He arrived in Spain, aged 19, in December He is almost certainly unique in having been a factories; Clem Beckett 1937 and, along with other members of the member of the Communist and Labour parties 11-14 British Battalion, was captured by Italian troops for 40 years each. in Aragon in April of the following year. He spent Family and friends at his funeral in Mortlake, Obituaries the next six months in prisoner-of-war camps south-west London, on 1 October were read a 15-17 before repatriation. After the Second World War, message from Labour leader Ed Miliband: “I Can you help? Lomon settled in London and had a successful was very sorry to hear of Lou’s passing. He was 18 career in the garment industry. a remarkable man whose history probably out - Letters Lou Kenton worked full-time for the Commu - shone everybody who is still with us in the …including Jubilee Gardens plaque wording; nist Party and then the British Czechoslovak Labour and Communist movements. From the Leila Berg’s lovers; Dutch Brigaders Friendship League, leaving in 1968 when the things I’ve read and the people I’ve met, I know 18-20 Prague Spring was suppressed. This also he touched so many lives and the Labour Party Books, music & film prompted him to leave the party and to join will be poorer without him offering us his advice 21-26 Labour. He returned to working in Fleet Street and guidance.” and as a sideline produced commemorative ce - What’s on ramics for left-wing causes, including some See: From the Secretary: page 9 and Obituaries: pages 15 26 pieces for the International Brigade Association. and 17. The IBMT Newsletter is published twice a year and is sent free to all members. Back numbers can be downloaded from the IBMT 2013subsnowdue Your bigger Newsletter website on [www.international- brigades.org. The IBMT Newsletter will now be published uk/newsletter.htm]. All content is the IBMTsubscriptionsfor2013arenowdue.Ifyou twice rather than three times a year. But copyright © of the IBMT and credited havenotalreadydoneso,pleasesendyour each issue will be much bigger than before. contributors and cannot be reproduced paymenttotheMembershipSecretaryatthe More pages will allow us to carry longer without permission. addressbelow. articles and features. Increasingly members Editor Subscriptionrateshavebeenincreasedfrom are relying on our online information serv - Jim Jump 1January2013.Seepages4(UKonly)and20(UK ice, website and Facebook page for up-to- 6 Stonells Road, London SW11 6HQ andoverseas)forthenewrates.Whenreturning date news and announcements. 020-7228 6504 yourcheque,clearlystateyournameandaddress The magazine has expanded greatly in re - [email protected] sothatthesecanbematchedwithour cent years. Until 2008 each issue had just membershiprecords. eight pages. Four more pages were then International Brigade MemorialTrust Also,pleaseconsiderpayingyoursubsbydirect added, and in 2011 we went up to 16 pages. www.international-brigades.org.uk debit.Thedirectdebitformcanbedownloadedat: During this year we also plan to revamp Charity no: 1094928 [www.international-brigades.org.uk/join.htm]. our website and all our online communica - Sendchequesorcompleteddirectdebitformsto tions media, including our YouTube and IBMTMembershipSecretary,2WoodfordClose, Flickr sites as well as our popular Facebook RadyrWay,CardiffCF52PH. page and email information service. G Foranyqueries,tel:029-20195412;email: Remember to pay your 2013 membership [[email protected]]. subscriptions so that you carry on receiving G Seeoverleaf:Whywe’vehadtoraisesubs. the IBMT Newsletter . 3 NEWS WELCOME: Ed Tyhurst, a helper at Newhaven Fort, painted this eye-catching Why we’ve had to placard advertising the IBMT’s “Antifascistas” raise membership exhibition, which was hosted at the fort in the run-up to the Trust’s subs (for the first Annual General Meeting. The IBMT is in discussions time in 12 years) with the management of Newhaven Fort – a By Jim Jump, IBMT Secretary popular Second World War visitors’ centre on the Our 2012 Annual General Meeting approved South Coast – on the possibility of a permanent an increase in membership subscription display about Sussex and rates from 1 January 2013. the Spanish Civil War and These rates have remained unchanged the links between the civil since the IBMT was created in 2001. But our war and the world war that activities and running costs have both in - immediately followed it. creased substantially. For example, standard second class postage rose by 85 per cent be - tween 2001 and 2012, while our magazine doubled in size from eight to 16 pages. In recent years we have also produced our popular “Antifascistas” travelling exhibition. Busy AGM in East Sussex More commemorative and educational events have been organised. And we have By Pauline Fraser, IBMT Trustee refurbished our magnificent national memo - rial on London’s South Bank and added a The IBMT’s 2012 Annual General Meeting was TwonewTrustees plaque beside it. held in the sunny south and, for once, it did not TherearetwonewfacesontheIBMT Although income has also increased – belie its name. Trust members discovered that, ExecutiveCommitteethatwaselectedatthe thanks to more members joining (we’ve among his many talents, Mike Anderson, who or - AnnualGeneralMeeting.TheyareDanny tripled in size over the past four years) and ganised events in East Sussex, was also a magi - Payne,whohasrunthehigh-profileMersey- cian who could conjure up fine weather. Thanks sideInternationalBrigadesNetworkfor “Standard second class to Mike, former IBMT Treasurer and Executive severalyears,andMickWhelan,General Committee member, the entire weekend went off Secretaryofthetraindrivers’unionASLEF, postage rose by 85 per cent without a hitch. astrongsupporterofthetrust. between 2001 and 2012, A video of the “Goodbye Barcelona” musical AtthesametimetheAGMrecordedthe based around the life of a young Jewish volun - Trust’ssincereappreciationfortheout- while our magazine doubled in teer from the East End got Friday night off to a standingworkofoneofourfounding size from eight to 16 pages.” cracking start at the Leaf Hall Community Arts ExecutiveCommitteemembersandTrustees, Centre in Eastbourne. Composers Judith Johnson RodneyBickerstaffe,whodidnotseekre- growing merchandise sales – this has not and Karl Lewkowicz attended the screening, electionattheAGM.HenowbecomesanIBMT been enough to offset our rising costs. which started the weekend on the right note. Patron(seereportonfacingpage). As a result, in the past two years we have On Saturday morning members staying in AlltheotherexistingTrusteeswerere- for the first time spent more than we’ve re - Eastbourne were taken by coach to Newhaven elected,includingChairDoloresLong, ceived in income. This state of affairs cannot Fort, where a short re-dedication ceremony was SecretaryJimJumpandTreasurerCharles continue, so the AGM approved the Execu - held at the bench in memory of the volunteers Jepson.Thefulllistcanbeseenonpage9. tive Committee’s decision to increase sub - who left for Spain or returned via Newhaven. scription rates by £5 a year. So the annual David Lomon, one of only two known Brigaders rates for UK-based members are now: Un - still alive, laid a wreath. The bench was first un - showed us some fascinating archive film of waged £12.50; Individual £20; Family £25. veiled by Jack Jones in 2008 and was the last labour movement events on the South Coast Non UK-based members will be notified public event of the Trust that Jack presided over. from the 1930s. separately of their new rates, which will re - Members explored the fort, where the IBMT’s Many members stayed on until Sunday and flect the additional cost of overseas postage. “Antifascistas” exhibition was on public display, took a coach to Hastings, the “Mugsborough” of I hope all members will understand why until it was time for the afternoon’s AGM. Follow - Robert Tressell’s “The Ragged Trousered Philan - we’ve had to raise subscription rates. Please ing the officers’ reports and elections, a lively but thropists”. Local historian Steve Peak guided us continue to support us in our commemora - friendly discussion ensued among the 50 or so around the town. We saw the three houses tive, educational and publicity efforts to members present. where Tressell and his daughter lived, and Steve keep alive the memory and spirit of the vol - In the evening it was back to the magnificent set the book in context of the economic condi - unteers who fought fascism and defended Eastbourne Centre hotel – owned by Unite the tions prevailing in Edwardian Hastings.