Baxell,
Richard (2007), British Volunteers in the
Spanish Civil War. The British Battalion in the International Brigades, 1936 –
1939 (Warren & Pell: Abersychan)
Greening,
Edwin (2006), From Aberdare to Albacete. A Welsh
International Brigader’s Memoirs of his Life (Warren & Pell:
Abersychan)
For my first book review Richard Baxell’s work seemed
an obvious place to start. The Spanish Civil War is a topic I have been
interested in since my time in school, and was the topic of one of my major A-level
essays. As such it is a subject I am reasonably well acquainted with.
Furthermore this book happens to be one of my bestsellers. In the second-hand
trade repeat sales of individual titles is not particularly common but thanks
to the local market I have been able to acquire multiple copies of this book at
a very reasonable rate. It’s publisher, sadly now defunct, is Warren &
Pell, which at one time, operated in Abersychan, not too far from where I live.
I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Alan Warren through my father, and
he helped me in supplying resources for my previously mentioned A-level
project. Having once maintained a lively internet presence, following a move to
Spain he seems to have sadly fallen off the radar, but I always keep my eye out
for the books he helped publish. As such I have made use of this review to also
mention another of his titles I currently have in stock, Edwin Greening’s “From
Aberdare to Albacete.
A Welsh International Brigader’s Memoirs of His Life”. Not commonly available,
I was able to pick up a copy going cheap on eBay. Greening’s work is a nice
accompaniment to Baxell’s, serving as a personalized, first-hand account of
much of what Baxell covers.
Before
dealing with the content of the books I should also mention another reason that
led me both to read “British Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War” and to choose
it for review. That is the glowing comment supplied by a leading authority on
the Spanish Civil War, Paul Preston, which I reproduce here in full:
“There is a huge literature on the role of the British
volunteers in the International Brigades. Some of it is inspirational, some of
it deeply moving, yet if I could keep only one book on the subject it would
have to be the one by Richard Baxell. No one before or since has managed to
weld the volume of disorganized and confusing memoir material into a clear and
coherent political and military chronology and geography. Not only is this
entirely serious but it is also extremely exciting. Baxell’s book is a classic
in the making on the Spanish Civil War.”
Such praise is not undeserved. Right from outset it is
apparent Baxell’s work is one of rigorous research. He appears to have left
little unexamined in his quest for comprehension. References are taken from
first-hand accounts, Russian archives, historical appraisals, and even
unpublished dissertations. The reference and bibliography section alone takes
some reading. Yet, this is a remarkably concise book at 216pp. in total, with
just 152pp. comprising the main text. Baxell’s ability to continually engage is
also commendable given the academic rigour.
He
begins by looking at who comprised the British section of the 15th
International Brigade. Previous work had tended to overstate the proportion of
middle-class intellectuals present. Often this has been a problem of perception
as much as anything else, with the most prominent first-hand accounts of the
conflict emerging from this stratum. Most famously George Orwell’s “Homage to Catalonia”, but also
figures like Laurie Lee and John Cornford have given greater prevalence to the
role of the intelligentsia in the International Brigades than there numbers
warrant. Instead Baxell draws out a clear picture of the predominant trend
amongst volunteers: 80% working-class, largely from urban centres, and in
unionised jobs. Whilst some expressed reluctance to state an explicit political
affiliation upon recruitment, the majority that did were members of the
Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB).
Whilst
some who attempted to go to Spain
were refused as unsuitable, this seems to have been more on political grounds
than anything else, as the recruits were largely inexperienced militarily.
Nevertheless many members of organisations other than the CPGB did go to Spain, with the
Labour Party having 110 declared members. The CPGB were however, undeniably the
main force behind mobilisation for recruitment. Attempts at the time by the
right-wing press, at its head, as ever, The Daily Mail, to depict the
volunteers as unemployed layabouts looking for some action, appear unfounded on
the basis of Baxell’s data. Although he accepts that, as was the case for many
in 1930’s Britain,
despite listing an occupation upon recruitment, many volunteers may have been
struggling for consistent work.
As
Baxell moves on to address what motivated the volunteers to go and fight in Spain he is
entirely dismissive of the most cynical appraisals. There is no evidence to
suggest anyone volunteered for financial reasons, as some critics have claimed,
or that they were tricked into participation by a deceptive CPGB. Financial
remuneration was low, and all first-hand accounts are clear that volunteers
were made aware of this, as well as the many other hardships they would face in
Spain,
prior to enlistment. Whilst the motivation for a few may have been adventure
and escape, such was certainly atypical. When one considers the amount
sacrificed by volunteers, in what was, nominally at least, a foreign civil war,
it can be hard to comprehend how they came in such numbers, from many parts of
the world unless it is understood that they did not view the events in Spain as
a foreign civil war at all, but merely the flashpoint for an international
struggle against the encroaching march of fascism. Even a cursory glance across Europe in the 1930s should be enough to demonstrate why
many people felt this, and in hindsight it is clear that they were quite right
to. Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists was also generating some
political momentum, and the experience of fighting the fascists on British
streets, and forcing partial retreat, also drove many to Spain. Beyond
anti-fascism, involvement in other social and political struggles also had influence.
Here
it is apt to mention Greening’s memoir. He details his involvement as a young
miner, in and out of work, in several campaigns around the Welsh valleys,
particularly the National Unemployed Workers Movement. He describes communities
enthused with political struggle, mass rallies and debates, and the desire to
stand up and fight the government. His disappointment at the Labour Party’s
unwillingness to take the battle to the streets and organise mass
demonstrations led him into the local section of the CPGB. Greening’s account,
whilst very much his own, is in many ways representative of the broader
experiences which led individuals to volunteer for the International Brigades.
Solidarity with the Spanish Republic was particularly strong amongst mining
communities, in part fuelled by links that had been developed through British
miners support for the 1934 uprising of Spanish miners in Asturias. Hywel
Francis’ book “Miners Against Fascism: Wales and the Spanish Civil War” of
which I have a copy, but am yet to read, elaborates on this point. Perhaps I
will return to it at more length when I have done so.
Having
established the make up of the volunteers, and the reasons behind their
decision to go to Spain,
Baxell then gives an account of their combat role. Throughout the war, the
Republic was at a continual disadvantage to Franco’s forces in several vital
aspects, often exemplified in the International Brigades’ experiences. Whilst
the Brigades did encompass some of the Republic’s most skilled military cadre,
those with previous combat experience were very much the minority. This was
true throughout the Republican forces, and only worsened as the war wore on and
conscription became necessary.
The
arms situation was even more deplorable. Entirely inexperienced recruits were
sent out into the field without any weapons training. Within the International
Brigades the training seems to have been particularly poor, amounting to little
more than marching drills. Whilst there does appear to have been some
negligence in regards to training, the lack of military equipment was the
predominant factor. There were simply not enough guns to spare, and even if a
raw recruit was lucky enough to handle a weapon prior to seeing action,
ammunition was unlikely to be supplied. If one compares this situation with
that of their adversaries it seems remarkable the Republic held out for as long
as it did. Highly trained, experienced troops comprised the core of Franco’s
fighting force. A flood of arms from Nazi Germany was also at their behest, not
to mention advisers, aircraft, and troops on the ground. This allowed Franco to
continually outnumber the Republic’s forces.
It
also brings light to one of the most discussed aspects of the Civil War. I will
not deal with it in any depth here as it is not Baxell’s main concern, but it
cannot pass without mention. The international support enjoyed by Franco was
arguably the fundamental reason for his eventual victory. Whilst Britain and France sat on their hands cowering
behind a Non-Intervention pact, the fascist world made no attempts to hide
their mass arming of Franco. Meanwhile Stalin, driven by his fear of Hitler,
was anxious not to over aggravate Britain
and France,
and thus sent only minimal financial and military support to the Republic.
Given the role the Spanish Communist Party was to play, under Comintern direction,
in seeking to control the revolution and stifle its most radical elements could
also arguably be seen as an essentially destructive force to the cause of the
Republic. Whilst Greening, a good Party man, certainly makes no such claims for
the adverse role of Soviet intervention, instead praising their support, he is
clear in his view that the British establishment was essentially complicit in
the fascist victory in Spain.
It’s evident that large sections of it favoured a fascist Spain to a communist Spain.
This
was one of many factors that fuelled British volunteers with the immense
bravery and conviction they showed in Spain. They viewed it also as a
struggle against there own ruling class. High morale and political dedication
were arguably a major factor in the length of the Republic’s resistance, and
helped to compensate, albeit meagrely, for their obvious deficiencies in other
aspects. This was an army overwhelmingly committed to the rightness of their
cause, and willing to go to any extent to defend it. Such was particularly true
of the non-Spanish sections of the Brigades, who had after all, given up all
that they had, without any pressure other than their convictions. One Brigader,
mentioned in Baxell, and prominent in his own right, is Tom Wintringham. I have
admired his work since becoming aware of it. One of his books, “Armies of Freemen”,
offers a tenuous but engaging thesis that wars throughout the ages have been
won by those with liberty on their side, who were fighting for themselves, and
not at the behest of any elite or master. He uses examples such as the Spartans
at Thermopylae, victorious against great odds,
over a slave army. His assertions would not meet historical rigour, but it is a
highly entertaining read nonetheless. The outcome of the Spanish Civil War
itself is a clear exception to Wintringham’s thesis, but there is certainly
something in his assertion that political conviction amongst troops is an
important asset in war. Greening perhaps offers a more apposite perspective. In
response to a statement made by 15th Brigade Chief of Staff Captain
Smrka that, “… good morale is better than all the bombing planes in the world!”
he writes, “I disagree; both are of equal value in battle.” (p. 86)
The
first prominent involvement of British troops in Spain
was the important role they played in the Republican defence of Madrid in 1936. Baxell
recognises the significance of their contribution whilst urging caution towards
certain accounts that have portrayed the 15th Brigade as solely
responsible for the victory. As the war went on such successes were to become
few and far between for the Republic. Still, accounts of great bravery amongst
the British volunteers emerge from every major battle. It seems even
considerable problems with coordination and organisation failed to dint the
commitment of many. Greening describes, in perhaps the most captivating section
of his book, how during the Ebro campaign in
1938, Greening and two comrades were separated from their unit and had to spend
several days scavenging behind enemy lines before being able to rejoin the main
group. (pp. 87-93) It seems such things were not uncommon.
Brigades
had to face other considerable problems too. Desertion was a factor, as was
internal conflict on both national and factional-political grounds. Whilst
efforts had been made to enforce a policy of shooting deserters it appears that
the British sections at least, were unwilling to do so, although a few accounts
have filtered through of undesirable individuals purposely being placed in
harm’s way. Baxell considers that the factual evidence suggests this may have
happened once or twice during the course of the war, with a similar level of
executions, reserved only for deserters it was believed were attempting to aid
fascist troops. Baxell states, “… there is no doubt that the belief that the
battalion was ruled with rigid and merciless discipline, including the
execution of deserters, is an exaggeration.” (p. 147)
It
appears that for the most part those who deserted the Brigades did so due to
the appalling hardship of the war, rather than political disaffection, or anger
at the dominant role of the official Communists within the Brigades. No doubt
there were political disagreements but these seem to have been secondary to
disputes of a national nature, at least according to Baxell’s account. In a way
this may seem strange, avowed internationalists bickering along national lines,
but whatever ones beliefs, the influence of national culture and identity
impacts on ones outlook. For the most part it was manifested as harmless
banter, but it did have a more sinister and disruptive side, particularly as
the war continued. Some British volunteers began to view the Spanish as weak.
Conversely the Spanish were coming to resent the seniority enjoyed by
foreigners within the International Brigades, which, by the later stages of the
war, were predominantly comprised of Spaniards. Irish Brigaders defected from
the British Battalion to join the American Lincoln Battalion over unwillingness
to fight alongside men who had served in the British Army in Ireland.
Greening recalls a fight breaking out between white American and black Cuban
Brigaders shortly before repatriation. (p. 102) But these disputes should not
be overstated. Baxell concludes that for the most part they remained petty, and
went against the prevailing spirit of the Brigades. The appreciation of many
normal Spaniards for the role played by the International Brigades was clear
when they turned out to bid them farewell once the decision for repatriation
had been made.
There
were clearly also personal disputes within the Brigades. It appears they never
reached sufficient levels to disrupt operations, but there were some events of
note, one of the most prominent and intriguing being the incident between Wilf
McCartney and Peter Kerrigan. It was claimed that Kerrigan had accidentally
shot McCartney thereby ending his service period in Spain. Some Brigaders believed it
not to have been an accident at all. McCartney had become a liability, and
“increasingly critical of the Party”. However, Baxell remains unconvinced it
was anything other than an accident seeing as McCartney was about to return on
leave to Britain anyway, and
could have been prevented from returning to Spain had the CPGB leadership
considered him unfit. (pp. 72-73) Nevertheless the varying accounts of
volunteers supplied by Baxell seem to suggest a degree of factionalism
surrounding the dispute, perhaps a possible indicator of deeper lying political
divisions. Greening also relays his personal dispute with Lance Rogers about
his period of absence from the Brigade following his separation at the Ebro. (p. 102-106) It certainly appears a somewhat
bizarre affair. Such things were certainly an aspect of life for British volunteers
in the Brigades.
Baxell’s
penultimate chapter deals with the experiences of British prisoners of war.
Despite efforts by elements of the British press sympathetic to the nationalist
cause to play down the levels of mistreatment suffered, Baxell concludes that
conditions were harsh for Brigaders captured by the fascists. They were however
largely safe from execution due to Franco’s unwillingness to risk provocation.
On the whole their punishment was restricted to severe beatings and attempts at
indoctrination. Some of the latter allowed prisoners to mock their guards with
faux appreciation for Franco, amending the cry of ‘Franco!’ to ‘Fuck You’, and offering a bizarre display of comical
fascist salutes. More constructively, sections of the CPGB formed prisoners
committees in an attempt to manage internal disputes without involvement of the
guards.
The
books concluding chapter is perhaps it’s most interesting. Here Baxell takes a
step back from the immediate experience of British volunteers in Spain and asks the question, “British Volunteers
for Liberty, or
Comintern Army?” He positions himself firmly in the former camp. He is highly
critical of recent accounts that have reduced the International Brigades to a
mere pawn of Stalin. Whilst he accepts that Stalin did attempt to manipulate
the Brigades and the Spanish situation at large, in alignment with his policy
of “socialism in one country”, there are little grounds for seeing the
Brigaders themselves as the exponents of Stalin’s domestic policy on Spanish
soil. The great purges in Russia
were never matched in Spain.
In fact there are very few reported executions, with deserters receiving
largely liberal treatment. It is also important to keep the events in context. Spain was
locked in a brutal civil war. Simply allowing fascism to seize the reins was
not a consideration for the Brigaders, thus certain measures otherwise
undesirable, would have been considered. With that in mind Baxell concludes
that the authoritarian nature of the Brigades has been overplayed by both right
and left. He is also adamant that it does a severe disservice to the Brigaders
to view them as Soviet dupes, “they went to Spain to fight fascism, and by
their definition of fascism they did just that.” Any support they received from
Soviet Russia was welcomed with open arms, whilst most of the world stood by
and watched. Baxell’s concludes by deploying the weight of hindsight, and sees
history as vindicating the volunteers. Their “analysis was … proved correct.
[They] were fighting an illegal
military rising launched against a legally elected government, the rising was supported by the might of the
European fascist powers of Italy and Germany and the war was the precursor for the wider European conflict that the Western
democracies had sacrificed the Spanish Republic to avoid.” (p. 152)
It
is hard to feel anything but massive admiration for all those who risked and
gave their lives fighting to stave off fascist advance, with the hope to forge
a brighter future. Both Baxell and Greening’s works are important contributions
to their history. I would go so far as to say Baxell’s account is essential.
And I’m not just saying that because I have it for sale! It appears unmatched
in comprehension and even-handedness. Greening’s work is more supplementary,
but it is the availability of such accounts that has allowed Baxell to compile
such an impressive panorama. The books work well when read in conjunction,
Greening providing the personalised narrative to Baxell’s analytical treatment.
Greening
discusses much more of interest than that I have dealt with here, providing
insight into life in the Welsh valley towns up to and during the 1930’s
depression, his politicisation, and a brief account of his experiences during
the Second World War.
Details
of the copies I have in stock:
Baxell, Richard (2007), British Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War. The British Battalion in
the International Brigades, 1936 – 1939 (Warren & Pell: Abersychan). 2nd
edition. Paperback. Condition: Fine. 216pp. Profusely illustrated with maps and
tables. £10
Greening, Edwin (2006), From Aberdare to Albacete.
A Welsh International Brigader’s Memoirs of his Life (Warren & Pell:
Abersychan). 1st edition. Paperback. Condition: Nr. Fine. 160pp.
Illustrated. Slight creasing to top corner. £15
A selection of other
titles on the Spanish Civil War I currently have in stock:
Kenwood, Alun ed. (1993), The
Spanish Civil War. A Cultural and Historical Reader (Berg: Providence). 1st edition.
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. xiv + 306pp. From the Berg European Studies
Series. Marking and wear to covers. £6
Kay, Solly ed., In Defence of Liberty. Spain 1936-9.
International Brigade Memorial (International Brigade Memorial Appeal: London). 1st
edition. Paperback. Condition: Very Good. 24pp. Illustrated. Marking to covers.
Some creasing to corners. £4
Edwards, Jill (1979), The British
Government and the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939 (Macmillan: London). 1st
Edition. Hardback. Condition: Fine in very good dust jacket. xiv + 280pp.
Contains maps and tables. Dust jacket spine faded. £20
Heaton, P. M. (1985), Welsh Blockade Runners in the Spanish Civil War (Starling: Risca).
1st Edition. Hardback. Condition: Fine in fine dust jacket. 107pp.
Illustrated, with maps. £6
Lee, Laurie (1991), A Moment of War (Viking: London).
1st edition. Hardback. Condition: Fine in near fine dust jacket. 178pp.
Illustrated. Creasing to internal front flap of dust jacket. £3
Campbell, Roy
(1939), Flowering Rifle. A Poem from the
Battlefield of Spain
(Longmans, Green, and Co.: London).
1st edition. Hardback. Condition: Very Good. No dust jacket. 157pp.
Previous owners’ signature to front end paper. Variable mild foxing, occasional
throughout. £20
If you are interested in any of the above titles, or anything else I
have in stock, please contact me on the email address provided. Please note
that the above prices do not include shipping costs.
