55-813: The British Battalion (1936–1938; officially the Saklatvala Battalion ) was the 16th battalion of the XV International Brigade , one of the mixed brigades of the International Brigades , during the Spanish Civil War . It comprised British and Dominion volunteers. A number of British volunteers, including Tom Wintringham , David Marshall and Ramona and Nat Cohen, and Scots nurse Annie Murray , arrived in Spain during August–September 1936. The men formed
110-834: A barrister . Saklatvala was a committed socialist, and first joined the Independent Labour Party (ILP) in Manchester in 1909. The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia of November 1917 was an inspiration to Saklatvala, and following the establishment of the Communist International in 1919, he became active in attempting to affiliate the ILP with that new organisation. Saklatvala joined with Emile Burns , R. Palme Dutt , J. Walton Newbold , Helen Crawfurd , and others as part of an organised faction called
165-642: A machine-gun company (no. 2). Its initial commanding officer was Wilfred Macartney, a former British Army officer who had served both in the Black & Tans and Spanish Foreign Legion, and then been sentenced to 10 years in HMP Parkhurst for spying for Russia. Canadian Bert "Yank" Levy served as an officer in No.2 company of the Saklatvala Battalion , under Wintringham from 1937. He was captured at
220-560: A pattern for what was to become cultural studies. In 1935, he wrote The Coming World War , which was published both in the UK and the USA. In it, he predicted an inevitable world war between the imperialist powers and the USSR, most likely beginning with a conflict over Manchuria; that it would be primarily a mechanised conflict and therefore susceptible to revolutionary action by the working class. At
275-515: The 1945 general election he stood in the Aldershot constituency , the Labour Party candidate standing down to give him a clear race against the incumbent Conservative MP. His wife Kitty stood in the same Midlothian constituency that he had come so close to winning two years earlier, but neither was elected. After the war Wintringham and many of the founders of Common Wealth left and joined
330-529: The Battle of Brunete . On 6 July, XV IB occupied the villages of Romanillos and Boadilla del Monte , and by midnight captured the village of Villanueva de la Cañada . (It was here that Alex McDade who wrote the song, Valley of Jarama , commonly heard at Brigade meetings, was killed in action.) The following day the British were ordered to advance on Mosquito Ridge, a piece of high ground which overlooked
385-578: The Battle of Jarama and spent six months in a Francoist gaol until he was released in a prisoner exchange. The battalion was numbered the 16th battalion of the International Brigades. It was formally named after Shapurji Saklatvala , the former Communist Member of Parliament (MP) for Battersea . However, this name never caught on and it was normally known as the "British Battalion". The Spanish also referred to it as " el batallón británico " or " el batallón inglés ". Number 1 company
440-670: The Daily Mirror propagating his views about the Home Guard with the motto "a people's war for a people's peace". The British Army determined that Wintringham was unreliable because of his communist past. After September 1940, the army began to take charge of the Home Guard training in Osterley and Wintringham and his comrades were gradually sidelined. Wintringham resigned in April 1941. Ironically, despite his activities in support of
495-583: The Left Wing Group of the ILP which was dedicated to this effort. When the affiliation drive by Saklatvala and the ILP's left-wing failed in the party's March 1921 national conference, Saklatvala left the organisation with the others in the Left Wing Group to join the new Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). He attended the 2nd Pan-African Congress held in Paris in 1921 as a delegate of
550-476: The Royal Flying Corps , serving as a mechanic and motorcycle despatch rider . At the end of the war he was involved in a brief barracks mutiny, one of many minor insurrections which went unnoticed in the period. He returned to Oxford, and in a long vacation made a visit of some months to Moscow, after which he returned to England and formed a group of students aiming to establish a British section of
605-589: The Soviet Union to tour the Union's Far Eastern republics, whose governance he compared favourably to that in British India. During that tour, he suffered a heart attack but recovered. During the 1935 general election Saklatvala was active in the electoral campaigns of Harry Pollitt and Willie Gallacher . On 14 August 1907 Saklatvala married an English woman, Sarah Elizabeth Marsh (born 1888). She
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#1732772814966660-564: The Third International , a Communist party. As the party was formed, Wintringham graduated from Oxford and moved to London, ostensibly to study for the bar at the Temple, but in fact to work full-time in politics. In 1923, Wintringham joined the recently formed Communist Party of Great Britain . In 1925, he was one of the twelve CPGB officials imprisoned for seditious libel and incitement to mutiny . In 1930, he helped to found
715-729: The Tom Mann Centuria , and in July/August they had been part of an attempt to liberate Majorca . Later they were joined by Bill Scott, becoming a rifle company in the German-speaking Thälmann Column. The Thälmann Battalion later formed part of XII International Brigade and fought in the Siege of Madrid , including the Battle of Ciudad Universitaria . Another group of British volunteers – among them Jock Cunningham and John Cornford – fought with
770-655: The appeasement policies of prime minister Neville Chamberlain , he also imagined the Tories to be Nazi sympathizers and wrote that they should be removed from office. He wrote for Picture Post , the Daily Mirror , and wrote columns for Tribune and the New Statesman . In May 1940, after the escape from Dunkirk , Wintringham began to write in support of the Local Defence Volunteers ,
825-603: The bombing of Guernica . His arguments were the basis for the most successful of the Communist Party's wartime campaigns, that for ARP provision, and shaped government policy on the issue in the years leading up to the war. Although at the centre of the CPGB organisation, he was often at odds with Party policy, believing in a communism of alliance and co-operation, rather than the dominant Comintern ideology of "class against class". Wintringham's ideas became party dogma when
880-471: The "James Connolly Company" (unofficially, the " Connolly Column "). A number of these men were unhappy in the British battalion due to their Irish Republican convictions. However their leader, Frank Ryan , wrote of the importance of workers solidarity outweighing national sentiment. As a result of these tensions, some of the Irish left the British to join the 17th (American) Lincoln Battalion , another part of
935-472: The British Battalion suffered 275 casualties in No.1, No.3, and No.4 companies – leaving 125 riflemen fit for duty. On the second day of fighting, the machine gun company was surrounded by Spanish Nationalist troops and many of its members were captured. Battalion commander Tom Wintringham was wounded, and Jock Cunningham took command of the battalion's 140 survivors. On the third day of the battle
990-807: The British battalion who fell in Spain. The list is compiled primarily from documents held in the International Brigade Archive in the Marx Memorial Library, London and the International Brigade Archive in the Russian Centre for the Preservation and Study of Recent Historical Documents, Moscow. Shapurji Saklatvala Shapurji Dorabji Saklatvala (28 March 1874 – 16 January 1936) was a communist militant and British politician of Indian Parsi heritage. He
1045-663: The CPGB putting forward 9 of its members as candidates, including Shapurji Saklatvala in Battersea North, where he was unanimously adopted as the nominee of the Battersea Labour Party. Although not all the Communist candidates were endorsed by the Labour Party, they all were the recipients of support from local Labour activists. Despite modest gains for Labour in the election overall, the results of
1100-533: The CPGB. In the October 1922 general election , the Communist Party of Great Britain launched its first electoral campaign, putting forward candidates in six constituencies. Saklatvala ran in the Battersea North district of London, one of two Communists to receive the official endorsement of the Labour Party – which was in effect an umbrella organisation which included affiliated political parties like
1155-480: The Comintern announced the ' Popular Front ', a form of communism Wintringham was prepared to fight for. In 1934, he became the founder, editor and major contributor of Left Review , the first British literary journal with a stated Marxist intent. Although published by Wintringham and funded by the CPGB, it embraced writers of all shades of socialism, regardless of their party affiliations. The journal established
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#17327728149661210-541: The Communist Party condemned Kitty Bowler as a Trotskyist spy but he refused to leave her: he quit the party instead. He came to mistrust the party's subservience to Joseph Stalin 's Soviet Union and Comintern . Back in England, Tom Hopkinson recruited him to work for the magazine Picture Post . On returning from Spain, Wintringham began to call for an armed civilian guard to repel any Axis invasion, and as early as 1938 he had begun campaigning for what would become
1265-458: The Communist newspaper, the Daily Worker , and was one of the few named writers to publish articles in it. In writing for the Communist party's theoretic journal Labour Monthly , he established himself as the party's military expert. In LM articles and in booklets on the subject, Wintringham formed the arguments against Air Assault and called for air raid precautions several years before
1320-833: The French-speaking Commune de Paris Battalion , in the XI International Brigade . It also fought in the Siege of Madrid, including the battles for University City and Casa de Campo . In December 1936, 145 British volunteers formed No. 1 Company of the French-speaking Marseillaise Battalion , part of the XIV International Brigade . They fought on the Córdoba front during December, and on
1375-531: The Home Guard, Wintringham was never allowed to join the organisation itself because of a policy barring membership to Fascists and Communists. In 1942, Wintringham proceeded to found a Common Wealth Party with Vernon Bartlett , Sir Richard Acland and J. B. Priestley . He received 48 percent of the vote at the Midlothian and Peebles Northern by-election in February 1943, previously a safe Tory seat. In
1430-579: The Home Guard. He taught the troops tactics of guerrilla warfare , including a movement known as the 'Monkey Crawl'. They were also taught how to deal with dive bombers. At the outbreak of the Second World War , Wintringham applied for an army officer's commission but was rejected. When the Communist Party promulgated its policy of staying out of the war due to the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact , he strongly condemned their policies. Because of
1485-565: The ILP as well as representatives of various trade unions. Saklatvala won the election in North Battersea, receiving 11,311 votes – topping his nearest rival by more than 2,000 votes. Also elected running as a Communist, without official Labour Party support, was J. Walton Newbold , capturing a plurality of the vote in Motherwell . Saklatvala was accepted into the Labour Party's parliamentary caucus, but while Newbold applied for
1540-474: The Labour Party, suggesting the dissolving of CW. In his later years he worked mainly in radio and film, both producing documentary and critical programmes and writing criticism. He continued to write about military history, opposing the use and development of atomic weapons and championing Mao's China and Tito's Yugoslavia over the monolithic bureaucracy of the Soviet Union. While he recognised and opposed
1595-453: The Madrid front during January 1937. Heavy fighting on 15 January at Las Rozas reduced the active ranks to 67. In January 1937, the survivors of No.1 Company joined with 450 new British, Irish , and Dominion volunteers at Madrigueras , near Albacete , International Brigades headquarters. They were formed into an English-speaking battalion, with three infantry companies (Nos. 1, 3, 4) and
1650-613: The Officer's School and attached to the American Lincoln and Canadian MacKenzie/Papineau battalions, was shot again, this time badly and injured out of the war. On 25 August the battalion attacked a strong Francoist position at Purburrel Hill , and was repelled by intense rifle and machine gun fire. The following day another assault was made on the hill, supported by the XVth Brigade antitank artillery battery, and this time
1705-571: The Republican government there. A high proportion were working class members of the Communist party (which organised the mobilisation and transportation across France), many went in on foot over the Pyrenees. A Scottish Ambulance Unit was also sent to Spain; it dispensed food donations but mainly provided first aid and treatment of the wounded from the front. The battalion contained a cadre of Irish volunteers who had previously been organized as
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1760-520: The XV Brigade. Later, at the Battle of Belchite in 1937, Paddy O'Daire of the Connolly's took command of the British battalion following the wounding of the then CO, Peter Daly . The International Brigade Memorial Trust has been established by veterans and historians to preserve and catalog the history of the British Battalion. The IBMT has compiled a roll of honour, listing the members of
1815-466: The attack succeeded. Heavy fighting had reduced the battalion to 100 men, and a number of Spanish Republican troops were drafted as reinforcements for the battalion. On 21 September 1938, Juan Negrín announced to the League of Nations that the Republican government would disband the International Brigades . The British battalion was withdrawn into reserve at the end of September 1938, and on 17 October,
1870-473: The battalion took part in the International Brigades' farewell parade through Barcelona . President Azaña and Prime Minister Negrín joined the crowds who took part in one of the last great Republican celebrations. On disbandment, 305 British volunteers left Spain. They arrived at Victoria Station on 7 December, to be met by a crowd of supporters including Clement Attlee , Stafford Cripps , Willie Gallacher , and Will Lawther . A 2024 study found that 49% of
1925-474: The battalion was temporarily routed, but under the leadership of Cunningham and brigade commissar Frank Ryan , staged a counter-attack, singing the Internationale , in what would become known as the “Great Rally”. The battalion remained in the trenches at Jarama until 17 June 1937. Reinforced by new recruits and strengthened by returnees from hospital, the British Battalion mustered 331 brigaders at
1980-533: The battalion was withdrawn into a reserve position. In mid-August, the Republican 35th Division, which included XV IB , was moved to Aragon . The focus of the Aragon campaign was to draw-off Nationalist attacks on Santander and to capture the strategic city of Zaragoza . On 25 August the battalion took part in street fighting to capture the Nationalist strongpoint at Quinto , where Wintringham, now head of
2035-484: The battalion's original objectives. As they left Villanueva de la Cañada they were bombed by Junkers aircraft from the Condor Legion and shelled by Nationalist artillery. The two-hour barrage and devastating heat caused heavy casualties and prevented the battalion reaching Mosquito Ridge before Franco's army rushed reinforcements to defend the position. Only 42 members of the battalion were left fit for service, and
2090-589: The election returned the Conservatives as the largest party in the House of Commons (although their number of seats fell from 346 to 259). All Communist candidates were defeated in the 1923 election, however, including Saklatvala in Battersea North. The 1924 general election came in the wake of the so-called Zinoviev letter and saw the Conservatives increase their vote by more than 2 million to win
2145-449: The election. The Labour Party saw a net loss of 42 seats despite contesting more constituencies than ever before. In Battersea North, Saklatvala ran without formal Labour Party endorsement for the first time, but still managed to win the election by a slim margin of 544 votes, the only one of 8 CPGB candidates elected. Saklatvala was arrested during the 1926 General Strike following a speech he made in support of striking coal miners and
2200-489: The forerunner of the Home Guard. On 10 July, he opened the private Home Guard training school at Osterley Park , London. Wintringham's training methods were mainly based on his experience in Spain. He even had veterans who had fought alongside him in Spain who trained volunteers in anti-tank warfare and demolitions . He also taught street fighting and guerrilla warfare . He wrote many articles in Picture Post and
2255-554: The grounds it was to ensure benefit from a Tata family trust fund. His son Kaikhoshro served with the British Air Transport Auxiliary organisation in World War II as a pilot (Second Officer). He flew most frontline aircraft, including Mosquitos, Spitfires and Lancasters. Saklatvala died, from another heart attack, on 16 January 1936 at his London home, 2 St Albans Villas, St Albans Road. He
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2310-543: The members of the British Battalion were members of the Communist Party . An estimated 300 people from Wales enlisted in the International Brigades, fighting Franco in Spain from 1936–39. Of the battalion’s 170 Welsh volunteers, 116 were miners, one in five was married and the average age was over 30. The South Wales miners provided the largest regional group in the British battalion. An estimated 500 volunteers went from Scotland to Spain to oppose fascism and support
2365-530: The name never caught on, and it was normally known as the " British Battalion ". The Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist–Leninist) 's hall is named after Shapurji Saklatvala. Saklatvala Hall is located in Southall , London. The hall is used for CPGB-ML's meetings and celebrations. Tom Wintringham Thomas Henry Wintringham (15 May 1898 – 16 August 1949) was a British soldier, military historian, journalist, poet, Marxist , politician and author. He
2420-626: The owner of India's largest commercial and industrial empire. He was educated at St. Xavier's School in Bombay before moving to St. Xavier's College for his collegiate education. He worked briefly as an iron and coal prospector for Tata successfully unearthing iron ore and coal deposits in the states of Jharkhand and Odisha (previously called Orissa). His health suffered with malaria which led to his moving to England in 1905 to convalesce and run Tata's Manchester office. He later joined Lincoln's Inn , although he left before qualifying as
2475-498: The purges and repression that marred the achievements of the Soviet Union, he never accepted that Stalin himself was complicit or responsible for them. His later campaigns and writing were mainly centred on the formation of a 'World Guard' a neutral volunteer force (initially) to police Palestine and the partitioned India, and to be at the disposal of the United Nations . Tom Wintringham died on 16 August 1949, aged 51, after
2530-629: The same, he was rejected. This did not stop Saklatvala and Newbold from joint activity, however, and the pair attempted to raise the demands of the unemployed and the cause of cheap housing and lower rents whenever possible. Newbold wound up being suspended from the House in May 1923 over his actions concerning the Curzon ultimatum during the French occupation of the Ruhr . The November 1923 general election saw
2585-407: The start of the Spanish Civil War , Wintringham went to Barcelona as a journalist for the Daily Worker , but he joined and eventually commanded the British Battalion of the International Brigades . Some socialist commentators have credited him with the whole idea of "international" brigades. He also had an affair with a US journalist, Kitty Bowler , whom he later married. In February 1937 he
2640-412: Was 61 years old at the time of his death and was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium . His remains were later buried on 21 January in the tomb of his mother at the Parsi burial ground in Brookwood Cemetery , Woking . In January 1937, British, Irish and Dominion volunteers in the International Brigades were formed into an English-speaking battalion, that was formally named after Saklatvala. However,
2695-409: Was a supporter of the Home Guard during the Second World War and was one of the founders of the Common Wealth Party . Tom Wintringham was born 1898 in Grimsby , Lincolnshire. He was educated at Gresham's School , Holt , and Balliol College, Oxford . In 1915 he was elected to a Brakenbury scholarship in History at Balliol, but during the First World War postponed his university career to join
2750-440: Was jailed for two months on the charge of sedition. He was active in the League Against Imperialism from the time of its formation in 1927. Saklatvala's parliamentary career was effectively ended when he lost his seat in the 1929 general election . He ran again in 1930 in a by-election in Glasgow Shettleston without success and mounted a final losing campaign in the 1931 general election in Battersea. In 1934 he visited
2805-408: Was later called the Major Attlee Company after the leader of the British Labour Party , who visited the British volunteers in December 1937. The British Battalion was attached to XV International Brigade , XV IB . The other battalions were the US Lincoln Battalion , the crack Balkan Dimitrov Battalion , and the Franco-Belgian Sixth February Battalion . In early February 1937 Macartney
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#17327728149662860-438: Was recalled to the UK by his parole board. En route to the railway station at Albacete he was accidentally shot in the arm by the battalion commissar, necessitating transfer of command to Tom Wintringham . In February 1937, the battalion fought at the Battle of Jarama . In a single day's bloody fighting on 12 February against Moors of the 7th Tabor of Melilla, part of the 8th Regiment of Francisco Franco 's Army of Africa ,
2915-405: Was the first person of Indian heritage to become a British Member of Parliament (MP) for the UK Labour Party and was also among the few members of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) to serve as an MP . Shapurji Saklatvala was born on 28 March 1874 in Bombay (now Mumbai ), India , the son of a merchant, Dorabji Saklatvala, and his wife Jerbai, a sister of Jamsetji (aka J.N.) Tata ,
2970-427: Was working as a hotel waitress when he met her while staying at Matlock , Derbyshire. The couple had three sons; Dorab, Beram, and Kaikhoshro (also called Kaiko), and two daughters; Dhunbar and Jevanbai (also known as Candida or Candy and Sehri). He was once censured by the non-religious CPGB for holding a Zoroastrian navjote initiation ceremony for his children at Caxton Hall , Westminster , which he defended on
3025-422: Was wounded in the Battle of Jarama . While injured in Spain he became friends with Ernest Hemingway , who based one of his characters upon him. He spent some months as a machine gun instructor. When he returned to the battalion the next summer he contracted typhoid , was again wounded at Quinto in August 1937 and was repatriated in October. His later book English Captain is based on these experiences. In 1938,
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