Group    From 1936  To 1938

International Brigades

Categories: Armed Forces

Countries: Spain

A military uprising in Spain in July 1936 was assisted by Hitler and Mussolini. The elected Spanish Republican government pleaded for help from France and Britain but, as part of the appeasement philosophy, this was denied. Many people across Europe were so appalled and worried that Spain might fall to the Fascists that they volunteered to fight alongside the Republicans. The Comintern (Communist International) organised these foreign volunteers into International Brigades.  It was estimated that between 30,000 and 35,000 people were involved in the Brigades.  More than 2,300 volunteers came from Britain, Ireland and the commonwealth, of who over 500 were killed. The majority were working-class and members of the Communist Party.

A Non-Intervention Committee had been set up by many European countries, with the aim of preventing personnel and supplies reaching the warring parties. In October 1938, this committee ordered the withdrawal of the brigades, while at the same time turning a blind eye to the support that Germany and Italy were giving to the Nationalist side.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
International Brigades

Commemorated ati

Hammersmith and Fulham International Brigade

{Front of memorial:} International Brigade In honour of the volunteers who le...

Read More

International Brigade

The quote “they went….other way” is a paraphrase of two lines from C. Day Lew...

Read More

Tower Hamlets International Brigade

'No Pasaran' translates from Spanish as 'they shall not pass'.

Read More

Other Subjects

D. S. Warwick

D. S. Warwick

Resident of Hendon who served and died in WW2.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW2
1 memorial
ORP Sokół

ORP Sokół

Former Submarine in the Polish Navy. ORP stands for Okret Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (Ship of the Polish Republic).

Vehicle, Armed Forces, Poland

1 memorial
Serjeant Thomas James Brock

Serjeant Thomas James Brock

Thomas James Brock was born on 29 September 1879 in Peckham, Surrey (now Greater London), one of the seven children of William and Emily Brock. His birth was registered in the 4th quarter of 1879 i...

Person, Armed Forces, France

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
H. W. Higgs

H. W. Higgs

Co-partner or employee of the South Suburban Gas Company. Served but did not die in WW1.

Person, Armed Forces

War served, WW1
1 memorial
H. R. Perriam

H. R. Perriam

J. Lyons & Co. Ltd. staff member who died in WW2.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW2
1 memorial

Previously viewed

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

In 1923 Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (descended from the Royal House of Scotland) married Prince Albert, Duke of York, the man who would become George VI when his elder brother Edward VIII abdicated. ...

Person, Royalty, Seriously Famous

35 memorials
Westminster City Council

Westminster City Council

The ancient parish of St Margaret's was divided into St Margaret's and St John's in 1727 but it was still run as a single vestry. In 1855 the two parishes were reformed into the Westminster Distric...

Group, Politics & Administration

179 memorials
Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria

Reigned: 1837-1901, 64 years. Born Kensington Palace. Daughter of Edward, Duke of Kent and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg. Niece of her predecessor, King William IV. Her first name was Alexandrin...

Person, Race Issues, Royalty, Seriously Famous

75 memorials
Doctor John Fry

Doctor John Fry

General practitioner and medical author. Born Jack Freitag in Lublin, Poland, he emigrated to Britain with his family in 1925. He trained at Guy's Hospital, and in 1947, single-handedly took over a...

Person, Medicine, Poland

2 memorials
Beth Holim / Spanish and Portuguese Jewish hospital

Beth Holim / Spanish and Portuguese Jewish hospital

This institution, Beth Holim, originated in Leman Street in 1748, moving to Mile End, the site of what is now Albert Stern House, in 1790.  The site was already in use as a Jewish women’s hospital ...

Group, Medicine

3 memorials