Churchill and the Spanish Civil War

"I do not at all under-rate the severity of the ordeal which lies before us, but I believe our countrymen will show themselves capable of standing up to it like the brave men of Barcelona"

From 18 June 1940 "Finest Hour" speech by Winston Churchill June 1940

Yet, Churchill had backed Franco and argued against intervention in Spain and had given full support for fascist Italy

“with her ardent Fascisti, her renowned Chief, and stern sense of national duty,” and even more so on Mussolini, whom he saw as “the Roman genius…the greatest lawgiver among living men.”

Cartoon

Note the famous Neville Chamberlin umbrella (which had become a byline for German appeasement)

Southall & Hayes and the Spanish Civil War

In July 1936 A.J. Murphy of Beresford Road, Southall wrote a very incisive letter to the Advertiser stating
“The Spanish people are defending democracy with their lives they are not doing it for Spain alone, they are doing it for the peoples of all democratic countries in Europe for who can doubt if Fascism triumphs in Spain that tomorrow the peoples front in France will equally be attacked”



January 1937 a meeting of the Southall Communist party had two speakers on Spain G.Y. Lothian of the TGWU and Isabel Brown Secretary of the Relief for Victims of War & Fascism. Showed film “Defence of Madrid” by Ivor Montagu, (with the aid of Norman McLaren - cameraman) filmed in November 1936 The collection raised £70,0s 5d, including £25 from the A.E.C. strike Committee
The film was in three parts
1)The assault on a people
2) The defence of Liberty
3) The World assists.

It showed air raids and air battles and scenes of great destruction at the office of Public works, newspaper, Church of San Sebastian, Palace of Duke of Alma and other Places…It shows a fire caused by a quarter ton bomb, still burning fire days later after the explosion. It showed the slain and injured victims. The second part dealt with the call to arms the building of barricades and air raid shelters the drilling and dispatch of troops to the front. It showed front line line scenes taken under fire in the University City. The third part showed the dispatch of food ships from the Soviet union the string of supplies to the capital, medical aid and hospital scenes and the work of the International Column (Brigade).

The column was shown in billets at the bunkhouse in the machine gun repair shop and in the front line trenches. There was also a picture of Ludwig Renn (b 22 april 1889-d21July 1979 famous German pacifist writer and one of Hans Beimler the German Communist MP who later died in the defence of Madrid in December 1936. I

Isabel Brown stated at the meeting “This fight was not between fascism and communism but between fascism and democracy” she went on to to speak about the “urgent need not only of arms but also of medical aid and warm clothing”

On Thursday 13th January 1937 a meeting of the “Aid to Spain” movement was held at Costons School, Oldfield Lane with D.F. Macauley in the Chair . A second meeting was held on 14th February with Michael Finn (AUBTW - Building union) and recent trade union delegation to Spain at Greenford.

In February 1937 it was reported by Mrs A. Grandjean (5 Brent Road,Southall)of the Communist Party, that Southall had three men in Spain, two in the International Brigade and one in the Medical unit as an Ambulance Driver The meeting was inaugurated as a result of rank & File Transport & General Workers bus section conference of all trade unionists in London to hold meeting for the sending of delegates to Spain said T. Duncan Greenford Aid to Spain was organising Thursday afternoon knitting sessions at 51 Rothesay Avenue.

T. Duncan in the International Brigade “Fascism must be crushed in Spain, the only thing he could do was go to Spain and fight for the workers” Mr M. Bromley a member of the International Brigade spoke to the Greenford Committee in March 1937 Ealing Spanish relief Committee held an inaugural meeting in the Lecture Room, Ealing Green, Congregational Church, The Secretary was Mr R.V. Procter of 24 Bradley Garens, West Ealing
Brothers Joe Coomes (Ealing) International Brigade Coomes (Ealing) Ambulance In

March 1937 a meeting was held at Southall Labour hall, the speaker was Dr C. Addison of the British Medical unit. Two resolutions were carried agreeing the setting up of a United Aid to Spain Committee which was charged with organising a campaign of solidarity and raising cash to assist the work of the Spanish Medical Aid unit and the heroic international brigade and to arouse the people of Southall and Hayes to the dangers of the non-intervention policy of the national government. The other resolution called upon the Trades Union Congress to call a Conference on Spain..
A committee representing twenty organisations was formed to get in touch with Churches, Chapels and other bodies regarding Spain. £5 for the Dr Addison Fund was raised In April a he Friends of Spain Uxbridge & Slough District Medical committee was established with the aim of raising £400-£500 for a medical unit. Mr W. Kuhlman of 17 Oakleigh Road, Hillingdon agreed to be the assistant District Secretary and Mrs L.Y. Morgan of 51 Swan Road, West Drayton was organiser for Yiewsley & west Drayton.

They organised house to house collections. The Friends of Spain held its first public meeting at St Andrews Parish hall, Uxbridge where the main speaker was Dr Milne, The Irish poet, the entrance fee was 6d and the meeting showed the film “Defence of Madrid” and News from Spain. On May 1st 1937 the Film Defence of Madrid was shown at the Methodist hall, long lane at 8pm Leaders Wilfred Roberts MP , Duchess of Atholl and Eleanor Rathbone

A society for the defence of political liberty Uxbridge April Speaker Miss Levatoff recently on delegation to Spain and Rex Irming London District Organiser “They were of the opinion that Franco would never capture Madrid, their spirits and morale was high” They were convinced that they were fighting not only for Freedom of Spain but for the overthrow of Fascism throughout Europe


Winston Churchill had stated in the Evening Standard 10th August 1936 that “The Spanish government had no legal or moral claim to support Spain, since it was being subverted and devowed by Communism” he was still supporting Franco as late as December 1938 (unlike Ted Heath future Conservative Prime Minister, who supoported the Republican cause)

British Unit left for Spain on August 23rd 1936

Captain W. B. Martin who fought in Spain in the 6th Artillery Battery of 1st Durutti Column spoke November 1937 Ruislip-Northwood Labour party speaking of the rebel troops stated “Over the top dressed in German field gray uniform there was the nucleus of world war in Spain and the English working Class should say it must stop since the beginning of the wars in Spain had been turned from a country of orange groves and vineyards into one of desolation and ruin by the rebel fascist forces who were backed up by dictators. Unless that was stopped in Spain it would happen to this country” William Martin a World War 1 veteran recognising the gravity of the situation immediately took command of an artillery section of sixty men In September 1936 ambulance Joaquin Maurin driven to Aragon front seen off from Clapham by Fenner Brockway special branch thought contained signaling equipment

In May 1936 J. Woodburn Secretary of the Uxbridge Trades Council stated

“That Hitler means War, there is no doubt and no matter what pacts he may sign they will not be worth the paper they are written on”

”We must make the workers understand that Hitler is a menace to Peace in Europe, make no mistake about it the first round has gone to Fascism and reaction, but we must see that now Unity has won in France, Spain and shown what can be done in Peckham the next round will also beat Fascism and reaction in this Country”

NOTE

John Mansfield building motorbike with sidecar ambulances for Spain at Hayes Labour hall


Mrs A. Grandjean active in Southall Comunist party and Southall Peace Council (any information welcomed)


Picture Atlee speaking to International Brigade in Spain


Mrs A. Grandjean, (5 Brent Road, Southall) very active in local and national Comunist Party

International Brigade Christmas Card

Willesden - Spanish Civil War Heroes

Willesden welcomes back its heroes

March 1939

Charlie Pottins

Brent Trades Union Council in north-west London has invited Dave Chapple, from Bridgwater, to come and speak to us about Kilburn-born Howard Andrews, who died aged 101 in Taunton in May this year. A lifelong trade unionist and socialist, Howard - known to friends as 'Andy' - was one of the first to go from Willesden area (now part of Brent) to help the fight against fascism in Spain. He served in a frontline medical unit.

Hearing that Dave was interviewing and writing about Andy, someone anonymously sent him a photocopy of a little programme produced for the event which Willesden Borough Labour Party, Trades Council, and Spanish Aid Committee held in Pound Lane School on Saturday, March 18, 1939. to welcome home local members of the British Battalion in the International Brigade.

Howard is listed as Keith Andrews - he had used his brother's name - and there were also George Cornwallis, John Ducksbury, Morgan Havard, Harold Horne, Charlie Hunt, J.Russel, Alec Unthank, Danny Doyle and A.Moulton - who was to reply on the Brigaders' behalf to the welcome from deputy mayor Alderrman WH Ryde, in the chair.

The Hendon Left Singers were to perform, and also billed were MP Sydney Silverman, nurse Lillian Urmston, and Maurice Orbach, then a London County Councillor, later MP for Willesden East.

The event was to finish with the Spanish national anthem and the Internationale.

The programme also had a roll of honour, remembering Ben Murray, trade unionist, killed on the Aragon front; Sam Pearson, a Cambridge graduate, mentioned in despatches, who fell on the Ebro; John Unthank, killed in the battle of Jarama; John Stevens, a young trade unionist captured by Moorish troops at Jarama and shot; and Robert Blair, also mentioned in dispatches, whose fate was not known since he had been cut off behind enemy lines on the Aragon front.

Those were desperate times, and they were courageous men, and whatever we might think of the kind of political leadership to whose banner they were tied, we can only hope that a fraction of their spirit lives on, especially in these days of economic crisis and fascism again rearing its head.

END


NOTE


Robert "Bob" Cooper Blair killed April 1938 Gandesa

James Jones communist party member from Harrow (and Aberaman) Killed Ebro July 1938

William Francis Durston Wembley killed September 1938 Sierra Caballs

Sam Pearson (probably Henry C H Pearson Communist Party member and Cambridge student killed July 1938 Ebro)

John Unthank Middlesborough communist party member killed Jarama February 1937

John Stevens, an engineer and communist party member killed Jarama February 1937 shot while prisoner

Ben Murray

W.H.McCullough, Workers’ Republic May 1938

By the death of Ben Murray, killed in Spain in defence of Democracy, the Communist Party of Ireland and the working class of Belfast, have lost one if its best fighters. 

Ben, a native of Armagh, came to our Movement in 1934. Prior to that he had been for a number of years in Canada and had soldiered in a crack Canadian Cavalry Regiment during the Great War. He was a gifted speaker and was always sure of an attentive audience when speaking at Custom House steps or elsewhere in Belfast on behalf of the Communist Party of the unemployed. 

As a salesman of Party literature, Ben had no rival. He readily recognised that this form of propaganda was easily the most effective and his enthusiasm for this type of work was simply terrific. He did not simply talk about it but spent hours and days going from door to door on the Shankill and Falls Roads, canvassing and selling the 'Irish Workers Voice', the 'Daily Worker'. and other Left papers. The results he obtained were a sure indication of the enthusiasm he put into his work as, where previously comrades on this class of work thought they were doing well when they sold a few dozen copes, Ben was selling in numbers of 20 dozen. 

Unfortunately the program of 1935 interfered with this class of work and Ben began to get restless at the restricted activity and he asked permission of the Party in Belfast, to go to England. He was a big loss to our Party but a very big gain to the British Party as his work there on behalf of the Daily Worker proved. 

I had not known that Ben had gone to Spain until one day I read in the Daily Worker of three members of the International brigade planting a flag in 'no man's' land to commemorate the anniversary of the Spanish Republic and one of them was Ben Murray.

Ben is dead and I believe that he would not have wished to die any other way. He once informed me in private conversation that his life did not really commence until he joined the Communist Party and that he had an interest now that was worth living and dying for.


ADDITION
James Jones communist party member from Harrow (and Aberaman) Killed Ebro July 1938

William Francis Durston - Wembley killed September 1938 Ebro

Anniversary of Franco Gunboat Atrocity - Cromer - Norfolk 1938

Pathe Video (click on picture above to see news reel)
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=20813">

At 3:30pm on the 2nd November 1938, the Spanish Republican merchant ship the Cantabria captained by Manuella Ardulles was half way into a voyage between Gravesend and Sunderland, when it was caught in an unprovoked attack by the rebel Spanish fascist gunboat the Nadir (the alias of the Cuidad de Valencia) in the North Sea, seven miles west of Cromer light vessel, Norfolk.


The bombardment of the Cantabria rattled windows of houses in Cromer and crowds gathered on the Cromer cliff tops to witness the shocking events .

The Auxiliary Cruiser SS Monkwood was dispatched to investigate the attack upon the Cantabria but as Britain was part of a "non intervention pact" it did not react to the bombardment, It was left to the Devon captain of the Pattersonia from Blaydon, Newcastle, Captain J. Blackmore to force his way between the attacking gun boat and the unarmed Republican merchant ship to rescue the crew from the sinking boat.

Despite the Cantabria flying white flags the Nadir, continued to bombard the steamer, bravely the Pattersonian moved in close to rescue eleven crew members including Captain Ardulles, his wife Trinidad, his two children and members of the crew, despite continued attempts by the Nadir to ram the Pattersonian.


A further five crew members were rescued by the Cromer lifeboat and the remaining crew by the cruiser SS Monkwood, a total of 45 crew members were rescued

After landing at Cromer, the crew made their way to Lowestoft and then on the East Anglia express to Liverpool Street,London,On reaching their destination huge cheering crowds gathered to welcome them and show support for the Republican cause, those present included Senior Alvarez Buyllis Spanish Consul General.

Today this attack by Franco's rebel forces would be labelled a War crime, in 1938 the Conservative National Government was still pursuing a policy of appeasing fascist governments and attempted to play down the incident.

Over 2,500 British men and women joined the International brigade to defend the democratically elected republican government of Spain against the fascist uprising led by Franco. 500 of those volunteers died for a cause that millions would later die for in WW2.

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The wreck of the Cantabria lies off Cromer,Norfolk