International Brigade Memorial Trust
close
DONATE
Search for volunteers here
Negative comments
The records include assessments of the volunteers made by their political superiors in the latter part of the war in Spain. Many are highly derogatory, referring to desertion, drunkenness and indiscipline, but should be taken with a pinch of salt, sometimes a very large amount. They were written for internal use, primarily as an assessment of suitability for future membership of the Communist Party at home and were often made by a party representative who may have had a grudge against certain individuals or may simply have been wrong. Many volunteers with outstanding military records in Spain – including senior ranking officers – received extremely critical assessments.
 
Other name: 
Place of birth:
Year of birth:
Political organisation:
Occupation:
Date of arrival:
Brigade ID:
Date of departure:
Date of death:
Where killed:
Comments:
Source:
 
Other name: 
Place of birth:
Year of birth:
Political organisation:
Occupation:
Date of arrival:
Brigade ID:
Date of departure:
Date of death:
Where killed:
Comments:
Source:
 
Other name: 
Place of birth:
Year of birth:
Political organisation:
Occupation:
Date of arrival:
Brigade ID:
Date of departure:
Date of death:
Where killed:
Comments:
Source:
 
Other name: 
Place of birth:
Year of birth:
Political organisation:
Occupation:
Date of arrival:
Brigade ID:
Date of departure:
Date of death:
Where killed:
Comments:
Source:
 
Other name: 
Place of birth:
Year of birth:
Political organisation:
Occupation:
Date of arrival:
Brigade ID:
Date of departure:
Date of death:
Where killed:
Comments:
Source:
 
Other name: 
Place of birth:
Year of birth:
Political organisation:
Occupation:
Date of arrival:
Brigade ID:
Date of departure:
Date of death:
Where killed:
Comments:
Source:
 
Other name: 
Place of birth:
Year of birth:
Political organisation:
Occupation:
Date of arrival:
Brigade ID:
Date of departure:
Date of death:
Where killed:
Comments:
Source:
 
Other name: 
Place of birth:
Year of birth:
Political organisation:
Occupation:
Date of arrival:
Brigade ID:
Date of departure:
Date of death:
Where killed:
Comments:
Source:
 
Other name: 
Place of birth:
Year of birth:
Political organisation:
Occupation:
Date of arrival:
Brigade ID:
Date of departure:
Date of death:
Where killed:
Comments:
Source:
 
Other name: 
Place of birth:
Year of birth:
Political organisation:
Occupation:
Date of arrival:
Brigade ID:
Date of departure:
Date of death:
Where killed:
Comments:
Source:
 
Other name: 
Place of birth:
Year of birth:
Political organisation:
Occupation:
Date of arrival:
Brigade ID:
Date of departure:
Date of death:
Where killed:
Comments:
Source:
 
Other name: 
Place of birth:
Year of birth:
Political organisation:
Occupation:
Date of arrival:
Brigade ID:
Date of departure:
Date of death:
Where killed:
Comments:
Source:
1 2 3 … 5

Memorials search results

News search results

 Griff Maclaurin: from Cambridge to Madrid’s University City

In issue No.50 of ¡No Pasarán!, historian Mark Derby explored the short life of New Zealand International Brigader Griff Maclaurin, drawing on the 20-year-long correspondence between his sister and Gwen Davies, his friend at Cambridge University. Griff Maclaurin had been a brilliant mathematics student at Auckland University College in 1928-1931 and took up a postgraduate […]

Read More
Margaret Powell: An Extraordinary Life

Margaret Powell grew up on a farm in Llangenny, in the Black Mountains. She left Wales to train as a nurse in London in the 1930s, and her training, humanitarian and political beliefs then took her to the Spanish Civil War, to work with refugees in World War Two and to Moscow in the 1950s. […]

Read More
Scottish TUC applauds work of IBMT

Delegates at the Scottish TUC conference in Dundee on 15-17 April voted unanimously to support a motion praising the work of the IBMT. The motion also calls on the Scottish government to promote ‘the story of International Brigades in the curriculum of our schools, colleges and universities’. This is the full text of the motion: […]

Read More
IBMT President's New Year message

Marlene Sidaway is pictured second from left above at the 2023 Burston Strike School Rally with IBMT volunteer Beth Richards (left) and (from right) IBMT Archivist Alan Llloyd and IBMT Secretary Megan Dobney. She writes … As we enter our 22nd year as a registered charity, it’s worth looking at the solid foundations we’ve laid […]

Read More
Harry Dobson memorial weekend

Pauline Fraser reports from the Harry Dobson memorial weekend in Spain on 23 and 24 September 2023. In the bright sunshine of a warm September morning, Ray Gleeson, nephew of Welsh Brigader Harry Dobson, unveiled a memorial to his uncle, Harry Dobson, a Welsh miner from the Rhondda, born 9 August 1907. On the plaque, […]

Read More
MPs remember International Brigade homecoming

Members of Parliament are signing up to an Early Day Motion (EDM) marking the 85th anniversary of the return of the International Brigades from the war in Spain.  The motion also praises the work of the IBMT in keeping alive the memory of the volunteers ‘who fought on the side of the Republican Government against […]

Read More
Unveiling of the plaque to Harry Dobson in Tonypandy Library

IB Cymru Secretary Mary Greening reports from the commemoration in Tonypandy on 16 November The cause that led an unemployed Rhondda miner to sacrifice his life in the Spanish Civil War remains as important now as when he died in 1938, a commemorative event has been told. Harry Dobson from Tonypandy died in the Battle […]

Read More
Remembering Bill Alexander

In August 2021 the Sandhurst Trust published, via their Facebook page, a celebration of Bill Alexander (1910-2000), who served as a commander of the British Battalion and a Sandhurst alumnus. The IBMT acknowledges the post as a welcome surprise as the International Brigades and their service in Spain are virtually never recognised by the armed […]

Read More
Objects from the front

Showcased here are photos and objects from the Spanish Civil War brought back by London International Brigader William Leonard Wilson, discovered by his son Joseph Wilson. This piece originally appeared in ¡No Pasaran! 2-2022. The majority of International Brigaders did not keep journals and only a few went on to write memoirs. What most of […]

Read More
Wales International Brigade t-shirt

Wales International Brigade T-shirt Celebrate the 184 volunteers from Wales who fought the fascists in the Spanish Civil War. Thirty-five of them gave their lives in defence of the Spanish Republic, whose colours also feature on this t-shirt. Available in green or white. Produced by Red Molotov from ethically sourced cotton.**Please select T-Shirt Shipping: £3.99 option at checkout for this product**

Small 34-36 inches (89cm) chest Medium 38-40 inches (99cm) chest Large 42-44 inches (109cm) chest Extra Large 46-48 inches (119cm) chest XXL 50-52 inches (130cm) chest XXXL 54-56 inches (140cm) chest 4XL 58-60 inches (150cm) chest 5XL 62-64 inches (160cm) chest

Read More
Wales International Brigade Tote Bag

Wales International Brigade Tote Bag Celebrate the 184 volunteers from Wales who fought the fascists in the Spanish Civil War. Thirty-five of them gave their lives in defence of the Spanish Republic, whose colours also feature on this tote bag. Produced by Red Molotov for the IBMT from ethically sourced cotton.

Read More
Volunteers discussed at talk on Spanish republicanism

Members of the IBMT and the Basque Children of '37 Association were among the speakers at an event exploring the history of Spanish republicanism and ideas around democracy for nations and regions, held at the Methodist Central Hall in Manchester on 23 April. Titled ‘The Spanish Republic, Past and Future’, the meeting was organised by […]

Read More
1 2 3 … 5

Events search results

Griff Maclaurin: from Cambridge to Madrid’s University City

Margaret Powell: An Extraordinary Life

Scottish TUC applauds work of IBMT

IBMT President's New Year message

Harry Dobson memorial weekend

MPs remember International Brigade homecoming

Unveiling of the plaque to Harry Dobson in Tonypandy Library

Remembering Bill Alexander

Objects from the front

Wales International Brigade t-shirt

Wales International Brigade Tote Bag

Volunteers discussed at talk on Spanish republicanism

1 2 3 … 5
IBMT logo

Support our work

You can support the IBMT by joining us or affiliating your union branch – see details and membership forms here:
JOIN THE IBMT
Copyright © International Brigade Memorial Trust
Visit our FacebookVisit our TwitterVisit our YouTube channel
menuchevron-up linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram