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.

(While most are clearly listed in documents as members of the YCL, some travelled without listing their political affiliation, under nicknames, or had listed themselves as Communist Party members having either just aged out or holding dual membership.)

Name | – Where they were from/born | (When and where they fell in Spain) | – Their Age

Airlie, Frank: Bellshill, Lanarkshire 30 July 1938, Gandesa – Age 24
Alexander, John: Dundee July 1937, Brunete
Armstrong, Alexander: Manchester February 1937, Jarama – Age 28
Avner, Sydney: Stoke Newington, London December 1936, Boadilla – Age 20
Ball, William (Tom): Reading/London 22 February 1937, Jarama – Age 24
Beaton, John (William): Glasgow March 1938, Aragon – Age 23
Beckett, William (Benjamin): Islington, London
March 1938, Aragon – Age 24
Bird, Arthur Ernest (J.): London 6 July 1937, Brunete – Age 21
Bradbury, Kenneth: Oldham, Greater Manchester 20 January 1938, Teruel – Age 22
Buffman, David (Solomon): Leeds September 1938, Sierra Caballs – Age 22
Burke, Edward: London 12 February 1937, Madrid Hospital/Jarama – Age 25
Cantor, Ralph: (Kantorovich) Manchester July 1937, Brunete – Age 20
Connolly, John: Glasgow 27 February 1937, Jarama – Age 22
Cornford, John: Cambridge 28 December 1936, Lopera – Age 21
Cox, Raymond: Southampton 15 December 1936, Boadilla – Age 22
Davidovitch, Maurice: London 12 February 1937, Jarama – Age 23
Degan, George: Balloch 22 January 1938, Teruel – Age 21
Dolan, Thomas: Sunderland 27 February 1937, Jarama – Age 24
Duffy, James: Glasgow April 1938, Aragon – Age 23
Durston, William (Francis): Abedare, Wales September 1938, Sierra Caballs – Age 18
Featherstone, William: Paddington, London November 1938, Vich Hospital – Age 19
Fink, Sydney (Samson): Salford 10-17 March 1938, Belchite – Age 24
Finnegan, John: Castleblaney, Ireland 3 April 1938, Gandesa – Age 29
Flynn, Thomas (J.F.): Glasgow April 1937, Chimorra – Age 27
Giles, William (W.J.): Liverpool 13 February 1937, Jarama
Gold, Alfred: London 27 February 1937, Jarama – Age 20
Goodman, Robert: Salford 12 February 1937, Jarama – Age 25
Grant, Robert (Alexander): Unknown March 1938, Calaceite – Age 28
Gross, Harry: Stepney, London July 1937, Brunete – Age 22
Guest, David: London 26 July 1938, Gandesa – Age 27
Hyndman, James: Glasgow January 1937, Las Rozas
Jackson, William (Billie/Doc): Oldham, Greater Manchester April 1938, Gandesa – Age 22
Jordan, Lawrence (Leonard): Blackburn 25 July 1937, Brunete – Age 27
Kenny, W. (Robert Patrick/Pat): Manchester February 1937, Jarama
Kermode, James: Milngavie, Glasgow 12 January 1937, Las Rozas – Age 34
Killick, Fred (T.F.): Southport 12 February 1937, Jarama
Lacey, Clifford: London 23 September 1938, Sierra Caballs – Age 27
Lee, Samuel (Ralph): London 27 February 1937, Jarama – Age 21
Leppard, Alexander: London 23 February 1937, Jarama – Age 22
Marks, Alfred: London July 1937, Brunete – Age 32
MacKenzie, William Edward: Glasgow March 1938, Aragon – Age 22
McGuire, William: Dundee 28 February 1937, Jarama – Age 22
McKay, David: Govan, Glasgow April 1938, Gandesa – Age 23
Messer, Martin (Frank/J): Maryhill, Glasgow December 1936, Boadilla – Age 25
Nash, Max: London July 1938, Gandesa – Age 21
Newsum/Newsome, Arthur: Sheffield 27 December 1937, Lopera – Age 32
Oldershaw, Thomas: Battersea, London 16 March 1938, Aragon – Age 23
Rae, James: Glasgow February 1937, Jarama – Age 27
Rutherford, James (Jimmy): Edinburgh April 1938, Executed whilst prisoner at Burgos – Age 23
Seal, William (Joe/John): Camden, London February 1937, Jarama – Age 25
Segal, Nathan: Walthamstow, London 27 December 1936, Lopera – Age 23
Shammah, Victor: Manchester March 1938, Aragon – Age 24
Sylvester, John (Jack): London February 1937, Jarama – Age 21
Tallis, Walter (Wally): London April 1938, Gandesa – Age 24
Trawber, Abraham: Unknown 22 September 1938, Sierra Caballs – Age 26
Watts, Roy (Theodore): Leicester 22-23 September 1938, Ebro – Age 25
Westfield, George: Manchester 10 October 1937, Ebro – Age 23
Wheeler, James: Unknown 18 February 1937, Jarama – Age 23
Whitehead, Frank: Manchester 24 February 1937, Jarama – Age 25
Wilkinson, Norman: Manchester February 1937, Jarama
Winfield, Bernard (D.G./George): Nottingham 20 January 1938, Teruel – Age 26
Yates, Anthony: Glasgow 17 February 1937, Jarama – Age 26
Yates, Stephen: London 9 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

" We are proud of our boys––Britain should be proud of them––as they were proud to be members of the Young Communist League. "

National Council of the YCL

Challenge Magazine, January 9th, 1937