BACKGROUND INFORMATION
SPANISH CIVIL WAR
La Pasionaria Memorial
Near Custom House Quay in Glasgow, there is an unusual statue with arms outstretched. This
is one of the few memorials in the country to groups of men and women who left Britain to join
the International Brigades in Spain.
Spain had a democratically elected a government but in 1936, fascist army officers staged a
coup and civil war erupted.
Fascists of Italy and Nazi Germany supplied aid to the Rebels, the democracies of Europe
refused to help the government of Spain, and it was left to Communist Russia and the foreign
volunteers to support the Republic.
The foreign volunteers in Spain were organised as the International Brigades and saw much
heavy fighting throughout the three years of the war. Of the 2,000 or so Britons who fought in
Spain, around a quarter were Scots. One hundred and thirty four of the Scottish Brigadiers lost
their lives in Spain, sixty-five of those hailing from the city of Glasgow.
La Pasionaria Memorial
The memorial was sculpted by the Communist artist Arthur Dooley in the mid-1970s and was
unveiled in 1977. The figure represented in the statue is Dolores Ibarruri, better known as La
Pasionaria, a fiery female politician from northern Spain, who was a popular figure within the
Republic and well-known abroad for her rousing speeches in support of the Republic.
A quotation from La Pasionaria is written on the base of the statue: "Better to die on your feet
than live forever on your knees."
The surviving members of the International Brigades left Spain in early 1939 as it became
obvious that a Fascist victory was inevitable. La Pasionaria spoke these words at their farewell:
"Comrades of the International Brigades! Political reasons, reasons of state, the good of that
same cause for which you offered your blood with limitless generosity, send some of you back
to your countries and some to forced exile. You can go with pride. You are history. You are
legend. You are the heroic example of the solidarity and the universality of democracy… We
will not forget you; and, when the olive tree of peace puts forth its leaves, entwined with the
laurels of the Spanish Republic's victory, come back!"
There are many other memorials in Scotland to the volunteers who went to Spain – some are
listed overleaf – it might be an interesting exercise to have a look and see if there is one near
you and if so visit it.
Where/what
Aberdeen. Plaque in
Aberdeen Trades Council
HQ, John Londragan
House
Aberdeen. Plaque in
Trades Council Club, for
Aberdeen
Aberdeen. Plaque in
Concert Hall
Aberdeen. Books in the
15th Brigade Memorial
Library, Aberdeen
Dundee. Plaque in Peace
Gardens, MacManus
Galleries, Albert Square
Edinburgh. Plaque in
East Princes Street
Gardens
Glasgow Plaque in
Baillieston Public Library,
Glasgow
Glasgow. Statue in Clyde
River Bank, Custom
House Quay
Irvine Plaque in
Cunninghame House
Branch Library
Kirkcaldy. Plaque above
memorial, Forth Avenue,
Prestonpans Seat in
local park
Prestonpans Plaque in
Civic Square
To whom
To volunteers
Erected by
To volunteers
Erected by Aberdeen TC
to volunteers from
Aberdeen
Aberdeen Council
Provided by volunteers
and the Aberdeen TC,
1989
Dundee City Council
When
1993
23 February 1975
to volunteers
Edinburgh City Labour
Party
to William Keegan
Erected by STUC, NUM,
Glasgow & Strathclyde
Councils
City of Glasgow
1 December 1989
John Smith “killed on the
Ebro in 1938”
Cunninghame District
Council
1 September 1988
to volunteers
Kirkcaldy District Council
and Friends of the IBA
Prestonpans Labour Party
May 1980 and September
1986
1 November 1986
Scottish volunteers
Berwick/ E Lothian Labour
Party
1 April 1978
23 February 1980
A commemoration ceremony, in Prince Street, Edinburgh, April 2009, for those from the
Lothians and Fife who died fighting with the International Brigade in the Spanish Civil War.
http://occasionalscotland.blogspot.com/2009/04/international-brigade-commemoration.html
http://www.international-brigades.org.uk/british_volunteers/
http://www.international-brigades.org.uk/memorials_scotland.htm
http://www.ukniwm.org.uk/server/sf%5Bwar%5D%5B%5D/21265/numPerPage/50/doSearch/1/
show/nav.002006003/submit/Search
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:enGB:official&q=international+brigade+Scotland&start=10&sa=N
Archive material is also available at the National Library of Scotland.