The IBMT has added its name to a letter of protest to the regional government of Aragón for its decision to repeal a Law of Democratic Memory. The law allows funding for the excavation of mass graves of the victims of Franco during Spain’s civil war and the subsequent dictatorship. Aragón is run by a […]
The 2023 Len Crome Memorial Conference, which took place on 11 November 2023, is now available to watch online. The conversation between leading historians on the Spanish Civil War Helen Graham and Paul Preston, with Richard Baxell in the chair, charts the long roots of the Spanish Civil War. Helen, Paul and Richard trace the conflict's origins […]
The British government has so far made no representations to the Spanish authorities about the potential disturbance of graves of British International Brigaders on a site where construction work is planned. However, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) says it is aware of the plans by Madrid city council and will continue to monitor […]
In recent years there has been a growth of small museums in Spain dedicated to the Civil War. One of the earliest of these is in Robres, an Aragonese village located south of Huesca. In January this year, Charlie Nurse visited the museum, along with Nick Lloyd, who runs Civil War tours in Barcelona. Here […]
Robert Hargreaves on the inspiring legacy of five brave Brigaders … They were among the first international volunteers to lay down their lives in defence of the Spanish Republic, and the wall plaque at La Residencia de Estudiantes, Madrid, remains a moving testament to their sacrifice. Erected more than 30 years ago, the plaque memorialises […]
Can anyone help with information about the plaque in Neath Old Town Council Offices (Orchard Street, Neath, West Glamorgan SA11 1RT), which is dedicated to three local volunteers who died in Spain? Until recently the memorial (pictured above) wasn’t on the IBMT’s online directory of nearly 200 memorials around the country. Gregory Page, a researcher […]
The latest book by the IBMT’s Historical Consultant, Richard Baxell, is a collection of 10 mini-biographies of individuals – and one family – whose lives were shaped by their experiences in Spain during the country’s civil war from 1936-9. Several thousand men and women from Britain chose to leave the safety of their homes to […]
Last week saw the annual programme of events to mark the anniversary of the 1937 Battle of Jarama, south-east of Madrid. As always, the high point was the Memorial March, this year held on 24 February. The commemoration is organised by the Madrid-based Asociación de Amigos de las Brigadas Internacionales (Friends of the International Brigades), […]
The latest book by Paul Preston, the foremost historian of the Spanish Civil War, turns the spotlight on Britain’s crucial but often overlooked involvement in the war. ‘Perfidious Albion’: Britain and the Spanish Civil War, brings together a collection of essays by Preston, who is the Founding Chair of the IBMT and a great supporter […]
Lynda Walker reports… The IBMT-affiliated International Brigade Commemoration Committee held its annual general meeting in the Falls Road Library on Saturday 24 February, the anniversary of the Battle of Jarama. In addition to the secretary’s report, financial report and election of the committee, two guest speakers were invited to the event. As chair of the […]
Robbie MacDonald reports from last December's event in Oldham to mark the 85th anniversary of the return of the Brigaders, which featured the 40-minute film 'The Brigaders Return!' by IBMT Film Coordinator Marshall Mateer. Eighty-five years on. But the sacrifices of British volunteers in the Spanish Civil War still inspire the fight for democracy against the forces […]
Lynda Walker writes… Few Irish women volunteered to go to Spain. This is in contrast to the First World War, when thousands volunteered. At that time the British government had to set up a special fund for the women who were stranded on railway stations and ferry terminals making their way to the field hospitals […]
