Roll of Honour
The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939
Between 1936 and 1939 over 35,000 men and women from over 50 countries left their homes in order to volunteer willingly for the Republican forces in Spain, to stand against the Nationalist fascist rebel forces of General Franco. From Britain & Ireland an estimate of more than 2,500 volunteered, with as many as 80% of them being members of the Communist Party of Great Britain and its Young Communist League.
Records from the International Brigades Association indicate that 923 were listed as members of the Communist Party and 169 were listed as members of the Young Communist League. It’s difficult to know for sure, as many travelled under false names, and did not list their political affiliations for fear of being captured and singled out because of them. The average age of volunteers was twenty-nine, although the most common age was twenty-three.
Volunteers came from overwhelmingly working class backgrounds, with large numbers hailing from cities such as London, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. Only a small number of them were unemployed, with large numbers involved in industrial occupations such as labouring, construction, shipbuilding and mining. Many of these volunteers had been previously involved in fighting the British Union of Fascists at their meetings and marches, such as Cable Street.
Using records from the International Brigades Memorial Trust, previous Challenge Magazine memorials, and early Roll of Honours from ‘Britons In Spain’ by William Rust and ‘British Volunteers for Liberty’ by Bill Alexander, we have tried to compile a more complete list of all YCL members who gave their lives in the fight for a Spanish Republic:
Name | – Where they were from | (When and where they fell in Spain)
- Alexander, John
- Dundee July 1937, Brunete
- Armstrong, Alexander
- Manchester February 1937, Jarama
- Avner, Sydney
- Stoke Newington, London December 1936, Boadilla
- Ball, William (Tom)
- Reading/London February 1937, Jarama
- Bird, Arthur Ernest (J.)
- London July 1937, Brunete
- Burke, Edward
- London February 1937, Madrid Hospital/Jarama
- Cantor, Ralph
- (Kantorovich) Manchester July 1937, Brunete
- Connolly, John
- Glasgow February 1937, Jarama
- Cornford, John
- Cambridge December 1936, Lopera
- Cox, Ray
- Southampton December 1936, Boadilla
- Davidovitch, Maurice
- London February 1937, Jarama
- Deegan, G.
- Balloch March 1938, Teruel
- Dolan, Thomas
- Sunderland February 1937, Jarama
- Duffy, James
- Glasgow August 1938, Ebro
- Featherstone, William
- Paddington December 1938, Vich Hospital
- Fink, Sydney
- Salford March 1938, Belchite
- Flynn, Thomas (J.F.)
- Glasgow April 1937, Cordova
- Giles, William (W.J.)
- Liverpool February 1937, Jarama
- Gold, Alfred
- London February 1937, Jarama
- Goodman, Robert
- Salford/Nottingham February 1937, Jarama
- Gross, Harry
- Stepney, London July 1937, Brunete
- Guest, David
- London July 1938, Ebro
- Hyndman, James
- Glasgow December 1937, Las Rosas
- Jordan, Leonard
- Manchester July 1937, Brunete
- Kenny, W.
- (Robert Patrick/Pat)
- Manchester February 1937, Jarama
- Kermode, James
- Milngavie, Glasgow January 1937, Cordova
- Killick, Fred (T.F.)
- Southport February 1937, Jarama
- Lacey, Clifford
- London September 1938, Ebro
- Lee, Samuel
- London February 1937, Jarama
- Leppard, Alexander
- (Leopard?) London February 1937, Jarama
- Marks, Alfred
- London July 1937, Brunete
- Matthews, Charlie
- Fulham
- Messer, Martin (Frank)
- Maryhill, Glasgow December 1936, Boadilla
- MacKenzie, William Edward
- Glasgow March 1938, Aragon
- McGuire, William
- Dundee February 1937, Jarama
- McKay, David
- Glasgow August 1938, Ebro
- Nash, Max
- London July 1938, Ebro
- Newsum, Arthur
- Sheffield January 1937, Cordova
- Oldershaw, Tom
- Battersea March 1938, Aragon
- Rae, James
- Glasgow February 1937, Jarama
- Rutherford, James (Jimmy)
- Edinburgh April 1938, Executed whilst prisoner at Burgos
- Seal, John
- London
- Segal, Nathan
- Walthamstow, London December 1936, Cordova
- Sylvester, John (Jack)
- London February 1937, Jarama
- Tallis, Walter (Wally)
- London April 1938, Gandesa
- Watts, Roy
- Leicester September 1938, Ebro
- Whitehead, Frank
- Manchester February 1937, Jarama
- Wilkinson, Norman
- Manchester February 1937, Jarama
- Winfield, Bernard (D.G.)
- Nottingham January 1938, Teruel
- Yates, Anthony
- Glasgow February 1937, Jarama
- Yates, Stephen
- London December 1936, Casa Del Campo
If you know of names of YCL members who were killed during the Spanish Civil War which we have missed, or have any amendments to the list above, then please get in contact: agitprop@ycl.org.uk
