Fighters Against Fascism

by Max Arthur

"For most young people there was a feeling of frustration, but some were determined to do anything that seemed possible, even if it meant death, to try to stop the spread of Fascism. It was real, and it had to be stopped." Jack Jones—who fought at the Battle of the Ebro, now aged 96  The Spanish Civil War, which raged from 1936-9, was a brutal and intense war which claimed well over 500,000 lives. Rightly predicting that the rise of Fascism in Spain could develop into a more global conflict, almost 2,500 British volunteers traveled to Spain under the banner of the International Brigade to fight for the Spanish Republic in an attempt to stem the tide. Acclaimed oral historian Max Arthur has tracked down the last eight survivors of this conflict, and interviewed them for their unique perspective, their memories of their time fighting, and the motives which compelled them to fight. Theirs is a unique story, of men and women volunteering to lay down their lives for a cause, believing passionately that the Spanish Republic's fight was their fight too. From Union leader to nurse, Egyptologist to IRA activist, these survivors have incredible, compelling, and sometimes harrowing tales to tell of their experiences, revealing their ideologies, pride, regrets, and feelings about the legacy of the actions they took.

Genres: Spanish Civil War, Nonfiction, History, Spain, Military History, War

304 pages, Paperback

First published April 2, 2009

About the author

Max Arthur is an author who specialises in first-hand recollections of historical events. He has worked closely with the Imperial War Museum to bring together two books in the Forgotten Voices series, Forgotten Voices of the Great War and Forgotten Voices of the Second World War. Prior to becoming a writer, he served with the Royal Air Force and for some years was an actor.

Reviews

[Kriegslok · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Real Band of Brothers gathers together the testimonies of the last surviving members of the British International Brigade. The Spanish Civil War is sometimes (rightly I believe) seen as the first battle of the Second World War. Here German and Italian fascist forces would test both their blitzkrieg battle techniques and the determination of the world to hold back a resurgent Germany. The world at that point was little interested in war. Britain declared a policy of non-intervention – which in reality meant depriving the democratically elected Republican government from procuring arms to defend the country from the onslaught of the reactionary General Franco and his hordes of foreign invaders. Spontaneously and slowly at first ordinary people who heard of Spain’s plight or had experienced the growing surge of fascism at first hand began to come to the aid of Spain. They fought as soldiers or served as medics and support workers for a Spain that was hopelessly out gunned. In the end fascism triumphed and went on to inflict immeasurable suffering and destruction on Europe in the following years. Spain itself remained under the brutal Franco dictatorship until his overdue death in 1975. This book records the experiences of eight volunteers. In most cases not only do we hear of their time in Spain but also of their backgrounds. These are mostly people from deprived backgrounds who know poverty but also community and solidarity. Some were politically active and had fought Moseley’s British Blackshirts others were inspired by the Spanish experience. Penny Feiwel recalls her deprived upbringing and her struggle to escape poverty which with the support of others she did to become a nurse which in itself is an amazing tale. She then went on to work as a front-line nurse cum surgeon in Spain where eventually she was seriously wounded. Her commitment to Spain was in no doubt and like many others who have had life changing experiences she recalls the drabness of life back in London with no one thinking beyond their own petty lives. Interestingly Jack Jones a trade unionist volunteer recalls how difficult it was to get people interested in Spain saying that all people really wanted to talk about was “sport, sex, beer and the job” (so it's not a new thing). Jack recalls meeting the Conservative Ted Heath in Spain in support of the Republic and comments that their were Conservatives, including Churchills nephew, more enthusiastic in their support of Spain than many Labour people. Bob Doyle recalls the role of the Catholic Church in supporting Franco from blessing weapons to supporting the fascist attack as a Holy War. Doyle was imprisoned in a fascist concentration camp and says the beatings helped reinforce them of the rightness of their cause for life. In closing Doyle quotes Nikolai Ostrovsky “Man's dearest possession is life, and since it is given to him to live but once, he should live as to have no torturing regrets so that when dying he can say, all my strength was given for the finest cause in the world, the liberation of mankind”.

Had the Spanish Republic not been left to cope defenceless against the fascist onslaught, had the people of Spain had access to weapons to defend themselves the course of European history might just have been very different. Conjecture aside thousands of ordinary people from across the world thought it was worth risking their lives to save Spain. Many who went to Spain never went home again and lie under Spanish soil. This book is an important part of recording the history of the Brigades and keeping the memory alive.

[Luke Sole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Misleading title aside, this book is a valuable collection of firsthand accounts of being part of the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War. Arthur seems to have kept ghost writing to a minimum, which allows each account to breathe and unravel in its own way. The result is a highly personal and emotive book, which deliberately avoids the dry comparative analysis of a modern political science perspective. The Spanish Civil War remains an under-appreciated conflict in the modern struggle against fascism. This book presents its humanitarian origins. Recommended.

[Emma England · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you only read one book with first hand accounts of the volunteers in the International Brigade in the Spanish Civil War, you wouldn't be wrong to choose this one. It is accessible, the writing is easy, and incredibly poignant. The accounts told share enough of the same experiences and themes to give you a real picture and feel of why people went, the experiences they shared and how they feel looking back. Yet the individual stories demonstrate why war is such an awful subjective experience that sits deep within the bones. From the individuals who were injured in various ways and suffered lifelong problems, to the man held in captivity and repeatedly tortured to the nurse who existed for days on end on nothing but coffee and cigarettes because of the number of injured.

I read the book in one day and at the end of it the emotions just came out and i had a good cry. It's a beautiful book.

Thank you to all those who fought for liberty when the wretched British government did worse than nothing.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good easy read. I really wanted to know about the Spanish Civil War. This wasn't about the history, but about 8 individuals from Ireland & UK who were involved in the war as Drivers, Nurses or Fighters. Their stories where inspiring and brave. But the whole thing seems a bit futile, especially when you heard what Franco did to his people for decades, even after 2nd World war ended.
I will have to find another book, to find out about the War?

[Robert Dillon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure how much credit the author gets here, but the accounts recorded are fascinating insights into both what life was like growing up in the immediate aftermath of WWI, and as a volunteer in the International Brigades. An interesting portrait of a world which seems left behind, but in truth each account could have been five times longer and nothing would have been lost by it.

[Kenny Bird · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read that tells stories of selfless acts of kindness and compassion. Highly recommended.

[Tom Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome

[Manray9 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fighters Against Fascism: British Heroes of the Spanish Civil War is Max Arthur's compilation of the personal accounts of eight British (and Irish) volunteers who fought for the Spanish Republic during the fascist insurrection of 1936-1939. The testimonies of the individual volunteers were not remarkable in any general sense if one has read Orwell, Koestler, Paul Preston or Hugh Thomas, but two aspects common to each veteran's story impressed me: One, the extreme poverty of the early lives of the volunteers. Urban life in tenements without running water or plumbing, an early end to education and entry into the workforce at a young age at miserable pay inevitably led them all into leftist (often Communist) activities. Two, the widespread solidarity and camaraderie between working class people of the era. That is dead today -- at least in the U.S.

Several of the individuals featured in the book mentioned the impact of the Battle of Cable Street on their decisions to go to Spain. They feared a fascist uprising in the UK and saw Spain as the front lines of anti-fascism.

Fighters Against Fascism: British Heroes of the Spanish Civil War rates at the low end of my Three Star range. For personal accounts of international fighters in Spain during the Civil War, I recommend Alvah Bessie's Men in Battle: A Story of Americans in Spain or American Commissar by Sandor Voros.

[Fran Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a good insight to the horrors of the Civil War in Spain and the men who went out from the UK to fight in the International Brigade. It is a useful reference book for me as I write novels set in that period and sometimes in Spain.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a bit disappointed, not well written and the title does not reflect the content. I see it as being disrespectful of the WW2 heroes.

[Jamie Potter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great individual stories but would have liked more context from the author to pull them together and add a little oomph.