Jarama revisited
British Battalion officers at Jarama. Courtesy of www.international-brigades.org.uk
The Independent sent a reporter on the annual Jarama walk, in which veterans, family members and sympathizers commemorate the first major battle action the International Brigades saw in Spain. (Meanwhile, efforts continue to locate the graves of the thousands of soldiers who died during the bloody battle.) Stephen Kelly’s long piece appears today:
Every February, old Brigaders, families, friends and sympathisers gather here to remember their dead comrades. In more recent years, the number of Brigaders has dwindled and last week there was only one, a sprightly 97-year-old Spanish soldier who sounded every bit as committed as he was back in 1937. They come from Germany, America, Belgium and France as well as Britain to remember, carrying their flags and banners and singing their songs.
More here.
There’s a new book on the Spanish Civil War coming out in July. It is based on new research (carried out in England, Spain and Russia) and covers the British Battalion’s baptism of fire at the Battle of Jarama. The book follows the volunteers on their journey from England, through France and onto Spain and details their training before focussing on their first three days under fire. As much as possible is told in the volunteers’ own words.
http://www.amazon.com/They-Shall-Not-Pass-Battalion/dp/1849085498/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300799365&sr=8-1