Gregory, Thomas Walter (Oral history)

British runner served with British Bn, 15th International Bde in Spain, 12/1936-2/1937; hospitalisation in La Pasionaria Hospital, Murcia, Spain, 2/1937-5/1937; rifleman served with British Bn, 15th International Bde in Spain, 5/1937-12/1937; trained as officer at Officer Training School at Tarazona de La Mancha in Spain, 1/1938-2/1938; officer served with British Bn, 15th International Bde in Spain, 3/1938-8/1938; POW in Saragossa Prison, San Pedro de Cardena Prison, Burgos and Ondaretta Prison, San Sebastian in Spain, 9/1938-2/1939

REEL 1 Background in Lincoln and Nottingham, GB, 1912-1936: family; education; employment; involvement in National Unemployed Workers Movement; participation in hunger marches; hunger march songs; attitude of authorities towards hunger marchers; response to marchers; political attitudes of marchers; question of lack of women marchers; joining Communist Party of Great Britain, 1934. Aspects of volunteering for International Bde in GB and journey to Spain, 1936: degree of awareness of situation in Spain, 1936; impressions of resistance to Nationalist uprising in Spain; decision to go to Spain; travel arrangements. REEL 2 Continues: journey across France, 12/1936; crossing Spanish frontier, 12/1936; organisation of volunteers in Paris, France; reception at Figueras Castle, 25/12/1936; march through Barcelona and Valencia; reaction to being in Spain. Recollections of period as runner with 3rd Coy, British Bn, 15th International Bde in Spain, 12/1936-2/1937: civilian poverty in Madrigueras; living conditions; relations with civilian; issue of uniforms and Russian rifles; machine guns; his company commander; unit organisation and division of nationalities; opinion of training; work of political commissars; morale amongst volunteers. REEL 3 Continues: contact with home; problems with diarrhoea; political and class backgrounds of volunteers; nature of political discussions amongst volunteers; situation around Madrid, 2/1937; move to Jarama front, 10/2/1937; sight of Nationalist Moorish troops advancing; wounding in hand during Battle of Jarama; nature of fighting at Battle of Jarama; shooting Moorish soldier; death of Bill Briskey; reaction to fighting; battalion discipline during retreat. REEL 4 Continues: Aspects of hospitalisation in La Pasionaria Hospital, Murcia, Spain, 2/1937-5/1937: removal to hospital; treatment for wounds. Recollections of period as rifleman with British Bn, 15th International Bde in Spain, 5/1937-12/1937: reaction to unchanged battalion position at Jarama, 5/1937; benefits of Spanish cook; description of trenches; opinion of calibre of new recruits; pay; lice and typhus; proximity of Nationalist lines; conditions of trenches; dug outs and communication trenches; burial of dead; story of informing relatives of dead British volunteer on return from Spain; nature of casualties; threat of mines; trench raids; Nationalist POWs. REEL 5 Continues: origins of Nationalist troops and their interrogation; treatment of POWs; character of Moorish troops; opinion of Nationalist forces; calibre of Republican forces and question of discipline; effects of Nationalist air superiority; night actions; Republican armoured forces; expectations of treatment if captured; background to move to Sierra de Guadarrama; objectives of Republican offensive during Battle of Brunete, 7/1937; wounding in arm and brief hospitalisation; suffering from heat and lack of water; opinion of action; battalion morale; opinion of weapons; trenches; casualties. REEL 6 Continues: visits from Communist Party of Great Britain General Secretary Harry Pollitt; background to move to Aragon front, 8/1937; attack on Pulburrel Hill, 8/1937; reasons for surrender of Nationalist forces; plan for tank attack at Fuentes de Ebro and reasons for subsequent failure; conditions on Aragon front; character of region’s populace; burning of Fuentes de Ebro church; nature of Aragon front; reactions to Barcelona and disappearance of Spanish Communist leader Andres Nin. Aspects of period of officer Training School at Tarazona de la Mancha in Spain, 1/1938-2/1938: drafting to officer training course; Russian training officer; appointment as acting lieutenant; training Spanish Coy. Recollections of period as officer with British Bn, 15th International Bde in Spain, 3/1938-9/1938: Nationalist breakthrough on Aragon front and defence of Belchite, 3/1938. REEL 7 Continues: story of suspected Italian atrocities against wounded troops at Teruel; state of morale during retreat; defence of mountain pass near Gandesa, 4/1938; crossing River Ebro by railway bridge at Mora la Nueva; retraining and regrouping along River Ebro; crossing River Ebro by boat; inability of Republican forces to construct pontoon bridge over River Ebro; wounding in neck; hospitalisation for week with wound and deserting hospital to return to front; Nationalist bombardment of positions; decision to withdraw International Bdes; capture by Nationalist troops and execution of half of unit in trenches; removal of his belongings; threat of further executions; interrogation. Aspects of period as POW in Saragossa Prison in Spain, 9/1938: identification as officer; court martial and death sentence. Aspects of period as POW in San Pedro de Cardena Prison, Burgos, Spain, 10/1938-2/1939: removal to prison; conditions. REEL 8 Continues: opinion of rations; lice; parades; story of mother’s letters to British Member of Parliament Willie Gallagher; Christmas celebrations, 12/1938. Aspects of period as POW in Ondaretta Prison, San Sebastian in Spain, 2/1938: removal to prison, 2/1939; prisoner exchange at Irun; singing on crossing border; return to GB, 2/1939. Reflections on service with British Bn, 15th International Bde in Spain, 1936-1939: contrast between service with British Bn and later in Royal Navy; reaction to being billed for repatriation costs by British Government in 1939; question of executions in Saragossa Prison; impressions of German and Nationalist Spanish captors at Gandesa; opinion of machine gun fire at Gandesa; opinion of Polish, German and French volunteers in International Bdes; question of desertions from battalion; battalion personalities. REEL 9 Continues: changes of political opinions in battalion; types of songs sung; opinion of literature written on the Spanish Civil War including George Orwell’s book ‘Homage to Catalonia’.