From xxxxxx <[email protected]>
Subject Every Memorial Tells a Story
Date July 25, 2021 12:00 AM
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[Anything we can do to bring the sacrifices and bravery of the
International Brigaders to a wider public consciousness is a reminder
that we too must join the fight against fascism.]
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EVERY MEMORIAL TELLS A STORY  
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Lynne Walsh
July 16, 2021
Morning Star
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_ Anything we can do to bring the sacrifices and bravery of the
International Brigaders to a wider public consciousness is a reminder
that we too must join the fight against fascism. _

NOT FORGOTTEN: The bench commemorating the Gibbons brothers and
comrades, at Hampstead Heath,

 

THIS weekend, a steady stream of anti-fascists will be making their
way to memorials all over the world, marking the 85th anniversary of
the uprising which led to the Spanish civil war.

Comrades will lay wreaths, flowers and ribbons in the vibrant red,
yellow and purple of the Spanish Republican flag.

Many will give the clenched-fist salute, honouring the volunteers who
fought in the International Brigades, taking on the might of Franco
and his grim allies Hitler and Mussolini.

Some will see large groups gathered (pandemic permitting). Countryside
and cities will hear the Internationale sung, in a myriad of
languages, echoing the voices of the brigaders themselves, on the
battlefields of Spain.

Some memorials are mighty monoliths, in metal or stone. Many are
exquisite works of art, such as the sculpture in London’s Jubilee
Gardens.

The late Michael Foot MP unveiled it in 1985, after its commission by
the Greater London Council and the International Brigade Association
(IBA, the predecessor of the IBMT).

Glasgow has its beautiful La Pasionaria statue, depicting Spanish
communist Dolores Ibarruri, whose speeches fired up the anti-fascist
fights.

In Cardiff, a memorial stone bears the 36 names of those who died in
the civil war. One of its plaques shows a tree of life, with the dove
of peace.

Glance at the website of the International Brigade Memorial Trust now,
and you’ll find a long list of artefacts honouring the brigaders and
medical staff.

At least one “memorial” is on the move; it’s a No 5 bus in the
city of Brighton and Hove, named after Dr Reginald Saxon.

A communist, the softly spoken doctor served on the front line and
developed new methods of blood transfusion, saving countless lives.

Behind every memorial is a story of heroism. Many mark an episode in
the lives of those whose names appear; volunteers who survived the
bullets and bloodshed often went on to greater things.

For those who died in Spain, there are loved ones who find some
comfort in these stones and plaques — those they grieve for have no
grave but the battlefields.

Some years ago Dr Dacia Viejo-Rose of the University of Cambridge
looked at the impact of war memorials.

She said that the cemetery and ossuary at Douaumont, marking the
battle of Verdun, “became firmly associated with a reconciliatory
symbolism when French president Francois Mitterrand and German
chancellor Helmut Kohl stood in front of the ossuary and a coffin
draped with both the French and German flags, and having listened to
the German anthem, held hands as the Marseillaise played.”

In Dresden, there were political clashes at events to recall the
devastating bombing in 1945, but in later years, the city’s peace
movement invited a delegation from Coventry, which suffered a similar
fate in 1940.

Participants formed a human peace chain around the German city,
demonstrating that it is what the living do, now, that properly
honours the dead.

The other stories behind these shrines are those of the families and
comrades who helped create them.

The fundraising, bureaucracy-beating and sheer persistence often
involve a grit that true anti-fascists do so well.

It’s a sad fact, however, that some memorials can be targets.
Vandalism of those in Spain itself is a constant worry.

In 2005, a plaque naming the 90 brigaders of the British Battalion who
died at the battle of the Ebro, was unveiled in the Sierra de Pandols.

It was attacked by Spanish neofascists, and subsequently brought to
the safety of London’s Marx Memorial Library.

Dr Almudena Cros, president of the Asociacion de Amigos de las
Brigadas Internacionales (AABI) in Madrid, has condemned attacks on a
monument in Vicalvaro, the Latina area of the city. Unveiled in 2017,
it was sprayed with swastikas only a few months later.

She said: “There are also political moves to try to remove the
various plaques and monument to the volunteers, located in Fuencarral
cemetery (northern Madrid).

“The persecution of the ideals that supported the fight against
international fascism and eventually defeated Nazi Germany and fascist
Italy is baffling, to say the least.

“Resistance heroes and heroines in France are honoured and respected
for fighting fascists, but here in Spain, the memory of the
anti-fascist volunteers and the legitimate army is still a target for
uneducated vandals and conservative politicians, more than 80 years
later.”

IBMT chair Jim Jump said: “Memorials to the International Brigades
are being removed in some countries of eastern Europe against the
backdrop of a scandalous attempt to rewrite 20th-century history.

“In October 2019 the IBMT sent angry protests to British Labour MEPs
after they voted in favour of a European Parliament resolution
equating fascism with communism.

Astonishingly, the resolution blamed the Soviet Union for the second
world war, and it failed to mention British appeasement of fascism or
the Spanish civil war.”

IBMT president Marlene Sidaway has a warning, too: “Fascism was not
eradicated in 1945; it remains in the shadows until challenging times
bring out prejudice, selfishness, blame and inequality — and the
fight against it continues.

“This is precisely the reason why (these memorials) are important.
Anything we can do to bring the sacrifices and bravery of the
International Brigaders to a wider public consciousness is a reminder
that we too must join the fight against fascism.

“We can do this by gathering at our local memorials — on any
particular day relevant to those who are commemorated there.

“It was also important to keep an eye open for any sign of damage,
graffiti, or wear and tear on the memorials.”

One, a 40-year-old wooden bench on Hampstead Heath in London has
recently been “rescued.”

Passers-by noticed it was in disrepair, and with the help of social
media, alerted the family.

The bench was in memory of Joe, Tommy and Danny Gibbons, a true band
of brothers. Joe’s granddaughter Mariah Wilson, in New York, is
delighted that the bench has been replaced.

Her grandfather fought with American brigaders, although the three
boys were originally from the Vale of Leven in Scotland.

Danny was injured at the battle of Jarama, but survived. Tommy was
killed at the battle of Brunete.

Scottish IBMT members made donations, with the family bearing most of
the cost of the replacement.

Both the old and new benches recalled family member Pat Dooley, once
jailed in 1935 for taking on a meeting of Oswald Mosley’s British
Union of Fascists.

The new bench pays tribute to Milt Cohen, Joe’s good friend who also
served in Spain.

Another name added is John Gibbons, the fourth brother. It’s
understood that the Communist Party in Britain drew the line at four
from the same family going on such a risky mission.

The number of memorials grows, as stories are uncovered, and cities,
towns and villages discover their heroes and heroines.

Marlene Sidaway recalls: “When the IBMT began in 2000, there were
already 38 memorials to the International Brigaders and since then
they have increased to 180.”

Sidaway’s late partner, David Marshall, one of the first to serve,
was instrumental in the production of the Teesside memorial in 1939.

There is work forging ahead on a new memorial, so Teesside may soon be
the location of the oldest, and the most recent memorial to the
International Brigades.

A performance of The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff was the catalyst. The
Young ’Uns powerful show depicting the life of the former brigader,
in Johnny’s hometown of Stockton, inspired local publican John
Christie to fundraise for a memorial to the eight volunteers from the
town.

The unveiling of the new memorial, close to the town’s historic
Green Dragon Yard, is planned for April 2022.

A final word from Sidaway: “We can all share our knowledge of the
International Brigades and their fight against fascism in the 1930s
— that is our own ‘memorial’ to them.

“They are now, and always will be, a source of inspiration to us
all.”

_To donate to the Stockton on Tees memorial fund
visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/stocktonbrigaders
[[link removed]]. For more
information about the International Brigades go to
www.international-brigades.org.uk
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