Remember me to my Comrades

Personal Experiences of British International Brigade Volunteers

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Chris Hall reviews

Michael Crowley’s Remember me to my Comrades: Letters and Diaries of the International Brigade (Barnthorn, 2026)

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This year is the 90^th anniversary of the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) and many new titles about the conflict are appearing both online and in bookshops. Michael Crowley’s new book concentrates on the British and Irish volunteers in the International Brigade.

The International Brigade was organised by the Communist International; approximately 35,000 volunteers from around the world fought to defend the Spanish Republican Government from a military uprising which was supported by Nazi Germany and fascist Italy. Around 2,500 volunteers came from Britain, Ireland and the Commonwealth and over 500 were to die in Spain. Many of the volunteers were Communists; most of the rest were anti-fascists, with a small minority of adventurers.

The author includes chapters on George Orwell and Harry Pollitt, the Communist Party leader at the time. The book includes many pictures of the volunteers (some quite rare and others not previously seen), images of extracts from diaries and correspondence, and some poetry. In the introduction Crowley clearly states the main focus of his book:

“At the centre of this book are the words of the volunteers themselves; in correspondence, diaries and, in a few cases, poetry, prose, written for its own sake at the time of the war. There are also quotes from veteran interviews and memoirs, primarily published elsewhere previously. The correspondence and diary extracts are largely unpublished.” (p15)

As the author states, with help from his very able researcher Tony Fox, the book concentrates on the firsthand experiences of the volunteers, often written soon after the event. The author and researcher should be strongly commended for uncovering material not previously used or discovered. The two men have interviewed a number of Civil War veterans and family members, and have obviously developed an excellent relationship with those family members, which has enabled them to gain access to important and enlightening information.

The book includes a general account of the Spanish Civil War, the lives of the volunteers before they went to Spain and reasons why they volunteered. It covers the journey to Spain, the experiences of the early volunteers, the formation of the British Battalion, the battles involving the volunteers, leaving Spain, experiences from the Second World War, their life after Spain and keeping alive the memory of those volunteers who fought and died in Spain. The author covers these topics through biographies of individual International Brigaders such as Maurice Levine, George Brown and David Gibbons. His biography of the last British Commander Sam Wild is very detailed and moving. In other cases, he groups together volunteers from a certain location such as Oldham, or a military unit like the Anti-Tank Battery.

The use of diaries and correspondence enables the reader to get to know what an individual volunteer taking part in the fighting in Spain is feeling and experiencing. The diary entries tend to be more honest and critical than correspondence, as they were not designed for public consumption. For example, Ralph Cantor, who was killed in Spain, is critical about his fellow volunteers and the leadership of the Battalion. Letters home and to the Communist Party tend to be more upbeat; letters written to family always under play how terrible things were so as not to worry relatives but also to get past the censors. Letters to Communist Party officials tend to be written in the official language of the time, usually ending in words expressing the belief that the war can still be won.

The chapters on Orwell and Pollitt are interesting, but, as the author admits, neither served in the International Brigade. Harry Pollitt, the leader of the CPGB (Communist Party of Great Britain), visited Spain several times to raise morale of the volunteers, was involved in recalling senior officers from Spain and had the unpleasant job of informing relatives of the death of their son, father or husband. So, despite his not actually serving militarily, his connection to the British Battalion was a strong one. The chapter on Orwell is well-written and interesting and I agree with the author’s view of the effect of Spain on Orwell:

“Orwell wrote extensively about Spain, including essays, book reviews, and letters. The experience informed his writing for the rest of his life.” (p201)

This is an interesting chapter; however, I believe it would have benefitted from more details of Orwell’s fellow British and Irish volunteers who served in the POUM (anti-Stalinist Communists) revolutionary militia.

A few minor aspects of the book could be improved. The volunteers covered in the book were mostly from Greater Manchester and the North East of England – perhaps a greater geographical spread would have better represented the diversity of the volunteers. While I enjoyed the material on Sam Wild, there was some overlap as he appears in several other chapters. The coverage of the British Battalion and its members was mostly uncritical. The index was quite brief and not all works mentioned in the footnotes were included in the bibliography.

The book is well-written and engages the reader. The use of biographies and grouping together around a theme or location works well. The personal experiences of the volunteers are very moving and, on occasions harrowing, which provides a contrast with the cheerful mundanity of letters to relatives. The author is obviously passionate about his subject and respects greatly the sacrifice made by these people who were killed and wounded in Spain. Finding any new material on a subject that has been written about extensively is not an easy undertaking. So both the author and researcher need to be praised for bringing this information into the light of day for the reader to discover.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed reading Michael Crowley’s new book and would recommend it to people new to the subject, and grizzled veterans like me who found plenty of new material I had not seen before. A book well worth reading.

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Remember me to my Comrades: Letters and Diaries of the International Brigade by Michael Crowley (Barnthorn, 2026: ISBN13: 9781917120609)

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Our reviewer, Chris Hall, is known as an expert speaker on the Spanish Civil War. He is a member of the International Brigades Memorial Trust and the Orwell Society. Among his books are In Spain With Orwell, and British Volunteers and the Spanish Civil War. You can find Brian Rubin’s review of his The Nurse Who Became A Spy here.