Description
Object description
British civilian in London during 1930s. Served with Machine-Gun Coy and British Bn, 15th International Bde in Spain, 2/1937-10/1938. Served with Royal Engineers in GB, 1939-1945. Political activities in GB during 1940s and 1950s.
Content description
REEL 1 Background and employment in London and Kent 1915-1932: father's work; attending Catholic school in Kent; period as hotel worker in Kensington, London, 1929-1932. Recollections of political activities with National Unemployed Workers Movement and Young Communist League in London, 1932-1936: question of trades union membership and industrial disputes among catering workers in Kensington; recruitment to NUWM, Paddington and Marylebone Branch, ca 1932; confrontations with police during NUWM demonstrations; reactions to British Union of Fascists.
REEL 2 Continues: attitudes towards Winston Churchill; imprisonment and unemployment among members of Communist Party; demonstrating against Public Assistance Committee benefits and policies with NUWM; membership of Friends of The Soviet Union, 1932-1934, selling newspapers; recruitment to YCL, Kensington branch in 1932; anti-Fascist campaign of YCL; reaction to seeing Fascists.
REEL 3 Continues; reaction to Blackshirts at Chelsea Barracks; opposing BUF meeting at Olympia, 1934; opinion of support for BUF and 'Daily Mail' newspaper; opposing Blackshirts in East London; opinion of Popular Fronts in France and Spain, 1936; opinion of Nationalist revolt in Spain, 7/1936; reaction to British policy of non-intervention in Spain; activities with Food For Spain Committee in Islington, 1936.
REEL 4 Continues: being arrested opposing BUF meeting at Royal Albert Hall in 1934; activities with Food For Spain Committee in Islington, 1936; campaigning for intervention in Spain; question of trades union support. Aspects of joining International Bdes in Spain, 11/1936-2/1937: decision to volunteer; question of military experience of volunteers; initial rejection at King St, London; backgrounds of volunteers; reaction to transfer from Paddington to Kensington branch of YCL, 11/1936; recruitment, 2/1937; arrangements for journey to Spain; meeting guide in Paris; send-off from YCL; feelings on leaving GB.
REEL 5 Continues: need for secrecy in GB; meeting volunteers in Paris, 2/1937; story of nearly exposing cover of group of IB volunteers on train from Paris to Beziers; arrest of volunteers; stories of reactions of gendarmes and French farmer in safehouse; crossing Pyrenees on foot and story of losing shoes. Recollections of period with Machine-Gun Coy and No.1 Coy, British Bn, 15th IB in Spain, 2/1937-12/1938: opinion of Spanish singing; uniform; training at Tarazona de La Mancha; billets; rations.
REEL 6 Continues: question of political education; rejecting selection as political commissar; opinion of training; conditions, 3/1937; nature of action.
REEL 7 Continues: IB songs; nickname for YCL comrades; IB songs including parodies of 'Glory Glory Hallelujah'; attitudes towards LP. Aspects of repatriation and return to GB, 10/1938-12/1938: interview with repatriation board in Ripoll; attitudes towards volunteering to fight in Czechoslovakia; return to GB, 12/1938; reactions to withdrawal of IBs; demob clothing; question of morale; treatment of non-British volunteers; role of French authorities; refusing food from Salvation Army in France.
REEL 8 Continues: reception at Victoria Station, London, and Co-Operative Movement headquarters in East London, 12/1938; story of listening to speeches in Spain. Recollections of activities in GB, 1939: claiming money from Dependent's Aid Committee; resuming activities with YCL, North Kensington and Paddington branch including work of Youth Peace Forum; question of reaction to Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact, 8/1939; question of opposition to Fascists in London. Aspects of period serving with Royal Engineers in GB, 1939-1945: duties at Wilton House, Salisbury; question of political activities.
REEL 9 Continues: education classes; question of political attitudes in GB; stories illustrating changing attitudes within British Army including activities of discussion groups; question of attitude towards LP general election victory, 5/1945; opinion of governments in GB, US and USSR, ca 1945-1951. Opinion of GB in 1930s and 1980s.
REEL 10 Attitudes towards Labour movement in GB, ca 1980s.
REEL 11 Aspects of activities of Red Aid and Workers' International Relief Organisation in GB, 1936-1939. Various aspects of activities with NUWM in London during 1930s: aim of demonstrations; nature of protest at Claridges Hotel, speech by Cath Duncan; reactions of general public to demonstrations; question of role of women. Review of activities with IB in Spain, 1937-1938: background to forming CP group in Tarazona; meetings of CP group, committee members; effects on CP group of move to front; morale after action at Calaceite, 3/1938.
REEL 12 Continues: background to being transferred to No.1 Coy, 4/1938; story illustrating role as CP member in unit, 4/1938; equipment; encounter with Italian unit at Calaceite, casualties, firing on tank and crew, ca 3/1937; using home-made hand grenades; story of giving up machine-gun to Bde headquarters; regrouping at Bde headquarters; story of using hand grenade against Italian tank; hand grenades; background to action at Gandesa, 4/1938; voting to return to defend Gandesa; defending positions against Italian tank unit and artillery bombardment at Gandesa; regrouping across the River Ebro, 4/1938.
R 13 Continues: question of reaction to artillery bombardment; voting and unit decision-making; question of support for idea of returning to defend Gandesa;