International Brigade Memorial Trust
The IBMT’s latest eye-catching t-shirt is a tribute to the women who volunteered to support the cause of anti-fascism in the Spanish Civil War.
The image is based on a sketch of a militiawoman by Felicia Browne, an artist from Thames Ditton, Surrey, who was herself a militiawoman in Spain.
The woman in the original sketch (below) is named as ‘Maria Petra’.
As a member of the Karl Marx Militia, Felicia Browne was ambushed during a daring bid to dynamite a fascist munitions train near Tardienta, Aragón, on 25 August 1936. She was shot dead while assisting an injured Italian volunteer, becoming the first British casualty of the civil war.
‘I can fight as well as any man,’ she said before going into battle.
Tragically, Felicia's brother, William (or 'Michael') Browne, was also killed in Spain. He joined the International Brigades in February 1938 and lost his life in Aragón in the following month.
Proceeds from sales of this t-shirt help fund the educational and commemorative work of the International Brigade Memorial Trust, whose name appears on the shirt along with the anti-fascist slogan ‘¡No pasarán!’.
The shirt is produced for the IBMT by specialist radical outfitters Red Molotov. It comes in a range of colours and is on sale for £20 plus p&p from the IBMT Shop.
Felicia Browne (1904-1936).
