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|commemorates = [[International Brigades]]
|commemorates = [[International Brigades]]
|unveiled = 10 June 2017
|unveiled = 10 June 2017
|coordinates = {{Coord|51|45|4.81|N|01|14|14.73|W||display=inline}}
|by_war = [[Spanish Civil War]]
|by_war = [[Spanish Civil War]]
|country = Oxford, England
|country = Oxford, England
|location = East Oxford, [[Headington Hill]]
|location = East Oxford, [[Headington Hill]]
|inscription = "In memory of the 31 men and women of Oxfordshire who defended democracy and fought fascism in the Spanish Civil War 1936–39 and the people of the County who gave them support. Six were killed in action."
|inscription = "In memory of the 31 men and women of Oxfordshire who defended democracy and fought fascism in the Spanish Civil War of 1936 to 1939 and the people of the County who gave them support. <br />Six were killed in action.
<br />'We came because our open eyes could see no other way.'<ref>{{cite book|title=Overtures to Death and Other Poems|last=Day Lewis|first=C|chapter=The Volunteer|page=40|publisher=[[Jonathan Cape]] (2nd impression)|location=London|date=1959|orig-date=1938|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.182643/page/n35/mode/2up|oclc=1114389}}</ref> <br />[[Cecil Day-Lewis|C Day Lewis]]"
<br />'We came because our open eyes could see no other way.' [[C Day Lewis]]
|designer=Charlie Carter}}
|designer=Charlie Carter}}
The '''Oxford Spanish Civil War memorial''' is a monument in [[Oxford]] dedicated to the 31 known local residents who fought in the [[Spanish Civil War]] (1936–1939) against [[Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War)|Nationalist]] forces. Erected and unveiled in 2017, the memorial is located close to [[South Park, Oxford|South Park]], near the base of [[Headington Hill]] by the junction of [[Headington Road]] and [[Morrell Avenue]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jenkins|first=Stephanie|date=10 June 2017|title=Oxford International Brigade|url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/88585|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=29 January 2021|website=Imperial War Museum}}</ref> The memorial is dedicated to all the volunteers with links to Oxfordshire who supported the [[Republican faction (Spanish Civil War)|Republicans]] and inscribed onto the front are the names of the six volunteers in the [[International Brigades]] who were killed during the war.
The '''Oxford Spanish Civil War memorial''' is a monument in [[Oxford]] dedicated to the 31 known local residents who fought on the [[Republican faction (Spanish Civil War)|Republican]] side of the [[Spanish Civil War]] (1936–1939) against [[Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War)|Nationalist]] forces. Erected and unveiled in 2017, the memorial is located close to [[South Park, Oxford|South Park]], near the base of [[Headington Hill]] by the junction of [[Headington Road]] and [[Morrell Avenue]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jenkins|first=Stephanie|date=10 June 2017|title=Oxford International Brigade|url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/88585|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=29 January 2021|website=Imperial War Museum}}</ref> The memorial is dedicated to all the volunteers with links to Oxfordshire who supported the Republicans and inscribed onto the front are the names of the six volunteers in the [[International Brigades]] who were killed during the war.


Although the memorial was dedicated to 31 people local people who fought in Spain, historians have since discovered two more. One of them was [[Charlie Hutchison]], the only known black man among the approximate 2,500 antifascist volunteers from the British Isles.
Although the memorial was dedicated to 31 local people who fought in Spain, historians have since discovered two more. One of them was [[Charlie Hutchison]], the only known black man among the approximate 2,500 antifascist volunteers from the British Isles, and the other a German-Jewish refugee called [[Liesel Carritt]].


== Commemorated dead ==
== Commemorated dead ==
On the front of the memorial, the names of the six killed are inscribed:
On the front of the memorial, the names of the six killed are inscribed:


* [[Anthony Carritt]] (1914–1937) – Member of the Carritt family, brother of the spy [[Michael Carritt]].
* [[Anthony Carritt]] (1914–1937) – Member of the famous [[Carritt family]] and brother of the communist revolutionaries [[Michael Carritt]], [[Bill Carritt]], and [[Noel Carritt]].
* [[Lewis Clive]] (1910–1938) – [[Olympic medal]]ist in [[rowing (sport)|rowing]] and [[Christ Church, Oxford|Christ Church]] graduate.
* [[Lewis Clive]] (1910–1938) – [[Olympic medal|Olympic gold winner]] in [[rowing (sport)|rowing]] and [[Christ Church, Oxford|Christ Church]] graduate.
* [[Edward Henry Burke Cooper|Edward Cooper]] (1912–1937) – Communist Party (CPGB) activist and worker for the ''[[Morning Star (British newspaper)| Daily Worker]]''.
* [[Edward Henry Burke Cooper|Edward Cooper]] (1912–1937) – Communist Party (CPGB) activist and worker for the ''[[Morning Star (British newspaper)|Daily Worker]]''.
* Herbert Fisher (1910–1938) – Relative of [[Virginia Woolf]] and [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]].
* Herbert Fisher (1910–1938) – Relative of [[Virginia Woolf]] and [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]].
* [[Ralph Winston Fox]] (1900–1936) – Communist Party (CPGB) activist, biographer of [[Vladimir Lenin|Lenin]] and [[Genghis Khan]], and [[Magdalen College, Oxford|Magdalen College]] graduate.
* [[Ralph Winston Fox]] (1900–1936) – Communist Party (CPGB) activist, [[Linguistics|linguist]], biographer of [[Vladimir Lenin|Lenin]] and [[Genghis Khan]], and [[Magdalen College, Oxford|Magdalen College]] graduate.
* [[John Rickman (communist)|John Rickman]] (1910–1937) – Communist Party (CPGB) anti-poverty campaigner, and expert on [[church architecture]].
* [[John Rickman (communist)|John Rickman]] (1910–1937) – Communist Party (CPGB) anti-poverty campaigner, and expert on [[church architecture]].


== Background ==
== Background ==
[[File:Oxford Spanish War Memorial - back plaque.jpg|thumb]]During the [[Spanish Civil War]], 29 British people with connections to Oxfordshire joined the [[International Brigades]], with two others joining [[POUM]]. Most of the volunteers were communist activists, and many had links to Britain's Jewish communities. Alongside organisations raising funds for Spanish humanitarian causes, Oxford was a hub for anti-fascist activism, homes within the county housed hundreds of [[Evacuation of children in the Spanish Civil War|Basque refugee children]]. Various physical fights broke out between anti-fascist activists and the Oxford University Fascist Association,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Farman|first=Chris|title=No Other Way: Oxfordshire and the Spanish Civil War 1936–39|last2=Rose|first2=Valery|last3=Woolley|first3=Liz|publisher=Oxford International Brigade Memorial Committee|year=2015|isbn=9781 910448 052|location=UK|pages=41–42}}</ref> with [[Communist Party of Great Britain|Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB)]] activist [[Abraham Lazarus|Abe Lazarus]] successfully organising Oxford students to break up fascist meetings at [[Oxford Town Hall]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Simon|first=Meddick|title=Red Lives: Communists and the Struggle for Socialism|last2=Payne|first2=Liz|last3=Katz|first3=Phil|publisher=Manifesto Press Cooperative Limited|year=2020|isbn=978-1-907464-45-4|location=UK|pages=122}}</ref> Many of the local anti-fascist volunteers who survived and returned became influential in various professions including professors, surgeons, human rights activists and trade union leaders.
[[File:Oxford Spanish War Memorial - back plaque.jpg|thumb]]During the [[Spanish Civil War]], 29 British people with connections to Oxfordshire joined the [[International Brigades]], with two others joining [[POUM]]. Most of the volunteers were communist activists, and many had links to Britain's Jewish communities. Alongside organisations raising funds for Spanish humanitarian causes, Oxford was a hub for anti-fascist activism, homes within the county housed hundreds of [[Evacuation of children in the Spanish Civil War|Basque refugee children]]. Various physical fights broke out between anti-fascist activists and the Oxford University Fascist Association,<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Farman|first1=Chris|title=No Other Way: Oxfordshire and the Spanish Civil War 1936–39|last2=Rose|first2=Valery|last3=Woolley|first3=Liz|publisher=Oxford International Brigade Memorial Committee|year=2015|isbn=9781-910448-052|location=UK|pages=41–42}}</ref> with [[Communist Party of Great Britain|Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB)]] activist [[Abraham Lazarus|Abe Lazarus]] successfully organising Oxford students to break up fascist meetings. Many of the local anti-fascist volunteers who survived and returned became influential in various professions including professors, surgeons, human rights activists and trade union leaders.


[[Oxfordshire]] was a hub for anti-fascist and Spanish Republican activism during the 1930s, with links to activists including; Olympic gold medalist, [[Lewis Clive]], Communist activist and Labour Party MP [[Thora Silverthorne]], biographer of Lenin and Genghis Khan [[Ralph Winston Fox]], photographer [[Alec Wainman]], the only CPGB member to sit in the House of Lords [[Wogan Philipps, 2nd Baron Milford|Baron Milford]], Communist organiser [[Carl Marzani]], Communist leader [[Claud Cockburn]], Marxist historian [[Tom Wintringham]], and journalist [[Giles Romilly]].
[[Oxfordshire]] was a hub for anti-fascist and Spanish Republican activism during the 1930s, with links to activists including; Olympic gold medalist, [[Lewis Clive]], founder of Britain's first union for working class nurses [[Thora Silverthorne]], biographer of Lenin and Genghis Khan [[Ralph Winston Fox]], photographer [[Alec Wainman]], the only CPGB communist to sit in the House of Lords [[Wogan Philipps, 2nd Baron Milford|Baron Milford]], Communist organiser and filmmaker [[Carl Marzani]], Communist leader [[Claud Cockburn]], Marxist historian [[Tom Wintringham]], and journalist [[Giles Romilly]].


== Names of volunteers with links to Oxfordshire ==
== Names of volunteers with links to Oxfordshire ==
The six volunteers who died during the war are named on the front, however the monument was built to commemorate all 31 known volunteers with links to Oxfordshire. Since the monument's construction in 2017 two more historical figures have been discovered, including the German-Jewish refugee Liesel Carritt, and the black-British anti-fascist [[Charlie Hutchison]].
The six volunteers who died during the war are named on the front, however the monument was built to commemorate all 31 known volunteers with links to Oxfordshire. Since the monument's construction in 2017 two more historical figures have been discovered, including the German-Jewish refugee [[Liesel Carritt]], and the black-British anti-fascist [[Charlie Hutchison]].


{{Div col|colwidth=18em}}* Alfred Smith
{{Div col|colwidth=18em}}
* Alfred Smith
* [[Alec Wainman]]
* [[Alec Wainman]]
* [[Anthony Carritt]]
* [[Anthony Carritt]]
Line 69: Line 71:


== Planning and council conflict ==
== Planning and council conflict ==
In 2014 an appeal was launched to raise funds for a memorial to be built within Oxford to honour International Brigade volunteers with links to Oxfordshire.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=12 March 2014|title=Memorial appeal for Oxford Spanish Civil War volunteers|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-26546003|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=29 January 2021|website=BBC}}</ref> Much of the funding for the memorial was generated by the sale of the book ''[[No Other Way|No Other Way: Oxfordshire and the Spanish Civil War 1936–39]]'', a compilation of research by several local historians with oversight from [[Oxford University]] professor Tom Buchanan.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=14 October 2015|title=Oxfordshire's involvement in the Spanish Civil War discussed at upcoming talk|url=https://www.oxford.gov.uk/news/article/48/oxfordshires_involvement_in_the_spanish_civil_war_discussed_at_upcoming_talk|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=29 January 2021|website=Oxford.gov.uk}}</ref> Other sources of funding included branches organisations including the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour party]], [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green Party]], [[Communist Party of Britain]], [[National Union of Journalists]], [[Unison (trade union)|Unison]], [[Trades Union Congress]], and educational institutions including [[Ruskin College]] and [[The Queen's College, Oxford|The Queen's College]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Farman|first=Chris|title=No Other Way: Oxfordshire and the Spanish Civil War 1936–39|last2=Rose|first2=Valery|last3=Woolley|first3=Liz|publisher=Oxford International Brigade Memorial Committee|year=2015|isbn=|location=London|pages=II}}</ref>
In 2014 an appeal was launched to raise funds for a memorial to be built within Oxford to honour International Brigade volunteers with links to Oxfordshire.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=12 March 2014|title=Memorial appeal for Oxford Spanish Civil War volunteers|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-26546003|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=29 January 2021|website=BBC}}</ref> Much of the funding for the memorial was generated by the sale of the book ''[[No Other Way|No Other Way: Oxfordshire and the Spanish Civil War 1936–39]]'', a compilation of research by several local historians with oversight from [[Oxford University]] professor [[Tom Buchanan (historian) |Tom Buchanan]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=14 October 2015|title=Oxfordshire's involvement in the Spanish Civil War discussed at upcoming talk|url=https://www.oxford.gov.uk/news/article/48/oxfordshires_involvement_in_the_spanish_civil_war_discussed_at_upcoming_talk|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=29 January 2021|website=Oxford.gov.uk}}</ref> Other sources of funding included branches organisations including the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour party]], [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green Party]], [[Communist Party of Britain]], [[National Union of Journalists]], [[Unison (trade union)|Unison]], [[Trades Union Congress]], and educational institutions including [[Ruskin College]] and [[The Queen's College, Oxford|The Queen's College]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Farman|first1=Chris|title=No Other Way: Oxfordshire and the Spanish Civil War 1936–39|last2=Rose|first2=Valery|last3=Woolley|first3=Liz|publisher=Oxford International Brigade Memorial Committee|year=2015|isbn=|location=London|pages=II}}</ref>


The current location was settled on after [[Oxford City Council]] rejected proposals for the monument to be erected within Oxford city centre, with [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] councillors opposing all the suggested locations. The creation of the monument was also opposed by heritage groups, including the [[Oxford Preservation Trust]] because it was felt to be out of character with the surrounding conservation area and the London Place Residents' Association.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Oliver|first=Matt|date=27 February 2017|title=Plans for Oxford memorial to Spanish Civil War volunteers clears key hurdle|work=Oxford Mail|url=https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/15120449.plans-oxford-memorial-spanish-civil-war-volunteers-clears-key-hurdle/|url-status=live|access-date=29 December 2020}}</ref> The current placement of the memorial was the third proposed location, with the previous two having their planning applications rejected by Oxford City Council.<ref>{{Cite news|last=French|first=Andy|date=20 April 2017|title=Date set to unveil Spanish Civil War memorial|work=Oxford Mail|url=https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/15235223.date-set-unveil-spanish-civil-war-memorial/|url-status=live|access-date=29 January 2021}}</ref> Some objected to the memorial because it did not honour "both sides... in a spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness", and called the design "aggressive towards the memory of the victims of conflict".<ref>{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=22 February 2017|title=Spanish Civil War memorial stone approved|work=BBC|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-39056714|url-status=live|access-date=29 December 2020}}</ref> Liberal Democrat councillor Elizabeth Wade opposed each proposed location for a monument in Oxford, although she claimed she was never opposed in principle. She described the second proposal on St Giles' near [[Oxford War Memorial|Oxford's First and Second World War memorials]] as “aggressive and triumphalist”.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2016|title=IBMT Newsletter issue 41|url=http://www.international-brigades.org.uk/sites/default/files/IBMT1-16Web.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=29 December 2020|website=international brigades}}</ref> Describing herself as a historian and speaking to the ''[[Oxford Mail]]'', she then opposed the third and current location because she believed a monument with a red flag would glorify communism, despite no red flag ever being proposed to appear on the monument.<ref name=":0" /> A writer in the communist ''[[Morning Star (British newspaper)|Morning Star]]'' labelled opponents of the memorial as [[NIMBY]]s.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=James|first=Luke|date=6 November 2016|title=Nimbys block nod to heroes of Spain civil war in Oxford: Memorial to anti-fascist fighters ‘too triumphalist’ for some|work=The Morning Star|url=https://morningstaronline.co.uk/a-69a5-nimbys-block-nod-to-heroes-of-spain-civil-war-in-oxford-1|url-status=live|access-date=29 December 2020}}</ref>
The current location was settled on after [[Oxford City Council]] rejected two proposals: the first was for the monument to be erected in [[Bonn Square]] in the city centre,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://public.oxford.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=N8CH3NMF0T000 |title=Installation of memorial stone. Land at Bonn Square, Oxford, Oxfordshire |website=Oxford City Council |date=17 April 2014 |access-date=4 June 2024}}</ref> and the second, on a site adjacent to the main [[Oxford War Memorial]] near [[St Giles' Church, Oxford|St Giles' Church]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://public.oxford.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=NVFTI9MFLCB00 |title=Installation of stone memorial. St Giles Parish Church, Woodstock Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire |website=Oxford City Council |date=27 September 2015 |access-date=4 June 2024}}</ref> [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] councillors opposed the suggested locations and the creation of the monument was also opposed by heritage groups, including the [[Oxford Preservation Trust]] because it was felt to be out of character with the surrounding conservation area and the London Place Residents' Association.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Oliver|first=Matt|date=27 February 2017|title=Plans for Oxford memorial to Spanish Civil War volunteers clears key hurdle|work=Oxford Mail|url=https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/15120449.plans-oxford-memorial-spanish-civil-war-volunteers-clears-key-hurdle/|access-date=29 December 2020}}</ref> The current placement of the memorial was the third proposed location.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://public.oxford.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=OHWU58MF0TQ00 |title=Installation of stone memorial. Junction of Headington Road and Morrell Avenue, Oxford, Oxfordshire |website=Oxford City Council |date=6 December 2016 |access-date=4 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=French|first=Andy|date=20 April 2017|title=Date set to unveil Spanish Civil War memorial|work=Oxford Mail|url=https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/15235223.date-set-unveil-spanish-civil-war-memorial/|access-date=29 January 2021}}</ref> Some objected to the memorial because it did not honour "both sides... in a spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness", and called the design "aggressive towards the memory of the victims of conflict".<ref>{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=22 February 2017|title=Spanish Civil War memorial stone approved|work=BBC|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-39056714|access-date=29 December 2020}}</ref> Liberal Democrat councillor Elizabeth Wade opposed each proposed location for a monument in Oxford, although she claimed she was never opposed in principle. She described the second proposal on St Giles' near [[Oxford War Memorial|Oxford's First and Second World War memorials]] as “aggressive and triumphalist”.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2016|title=IBMT Newsletter issue 41|url=http://www.international-brigades.org.uk/sites/default/files/IBMT1-16Web.pdf|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=29 December 2020|website=international brigades}}</ref> Describing herself as a historian and speaking to the ''[[Oxford Mail]]'', she then opposed the third and current location because she believed a monument with a red flag would glorify communism, despite no red flag ever being proposed to appear on the monument.<ref name=":0" /> A writer in the communist ''[[Morning Star (British newspaper)|Morning Star]]'' labelled opponents of the memorial as [[NIMBY]]s.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=James|first=Luke|date=6 November 2016|title=Nimbys block nod to heroes of Spain civil war in Oxford: Memorial to anti-fascist fighters 'too triumphalist' for some|work=The Morning Star|url=https://morningstaronline.co.uk/a-69a5-nimbys-block-nod-to-heroes-of-spain-civil-war-in-oxford-1|access-date=29 December 2020}}</ref>


== See also ==
== See also ==
Line 81: Line 83:
== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
*{{cite book |title=The Impact of the Spanish Civil War on Britain: War, Loss and Memory |chapter=Chapter 7: Loss, memory and the British 'Volunteers for Liberty' |pages=122{{ndash}}140 |last=Buchanan |first=Tom |author-link=Tom Buchanan (historian) |publisher=[[Sussex Academic Press]]|location=Eastbourne |date=2007 |isbn=978-1-845-19127-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/impactofspanishc0000buch/page/122/mode/2up |url-access=registration}}


{{coord|51.75134|-1.23742|format=dms|type:landmark_region:GB|display=title}}
{{coord|51.75134|-1.23742|format=dms|type:landmark_region:GB|display=title}}
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[[Category:Buildings and structures in Oxford]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Oxford]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials in Oxfordshire]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials in Oxfordshire]]
[[Category:War monuments and memorials]]
[[Category:War memorials in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:International Brigades]]
[[Category:Military history of Oxford]]

Latest revision as of 13:42, 15 August 2024

Oxford Spanish Civil War memorial
Oxford, England
For International Brigades
Unveiled10 June 2017
Location51°45′4.81″N 01°14′14.73″W / 51.7513361°N 1.2374250°W / 51.7513361; -1.2374250
East Oxford, Headington Hill
Designed byCharlie Carter
Burials by war
"In memory of the 31 men and women of Oxfordshire who defended democracy and fought fascism in the Spanish Civil War of 1936 to 1939 and the people of the County who gave them support.
Six were killed in action.
'We came because our open eyes could see no other way.'[1]
C Day Lewis"

The Oxford Spanish Civil War memorial is a monument in Oxford dedicated to the 31 known local residents who fought on the Republican side of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) against Nationalist forces. Erected and unveiled in 2017, the memorial is located close to South Park, near the base of Headington Hill by the junction of Headington Road and Morrell Avenue.[2] The memorial is dedicated to all the volunteers with links to Oxfordshire who supported the Republicans and inscribed onto the front are the names of the six volunteers in the International Brigades who were killed during the war.

Although the memorial was dedicated to 31 local people who fought in Spain, historians have since discovered two more. One of them was Charlie Hutchison, the only known black man among the approximate 2,500 antifascist volunteers from the British Isles, and the other a German-Jewish refugee called Liesel Carritt.

Commemorated dead

[edit]

On the front of the memorial, the names of the six killed are inscribed:

Background

[edit]

During the Spanish Civil War, 29 British people with connections to Oxfordshire joined the International Brigades, with two others joining POUM. Most of the volunteers were communist activists, and many had links to Britain's Jewish communities. Alongside organisations raising funds for Spanish humanitarian causes, Oxford was a hub for anti-fascist activism, homes within the county housed hundreds of Basque refugee children. Various physical fights broke out between anti-fascist activists and the Oxford University Fascist Association,[3] with Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) activist Abe Lazarus successfully organising Oxford students to break up fascist meetings. Many of the local anti-fascist volunteers who survived and returned became influential in various professions including professors, surgeons, human rights activists and trade union leaders.

Oxfordshire was a hub for anti-fascist and Spanish Republican activism during the 1930s, with links to activists including; Olympic gold medalist, Lewis Clive, founder of Britain's first union for working class nurses Thora Silverthorne, biographer of Lenin and Genghis Khan Ralph Winston Fox, photographer Alec Wainman, the only CPGB communist to sit in the House of Lords Baron Milford, Communist organiser and filmmaker Carl Marzani, Communist leader Claud Cockburn, Marxist historian Tom Wintringham, and journalist Giles Romilly.

[edit]

The six volunteers who died during the war are named on the front, however the monument was built to commemorate all 31 known volunteers with links to Oxfordshire. Since the monument's construction in 2017 two more historical figures have been discovered, including the German-Jewish refugee Liesel Carritt, and the black-British anti-fascist Charlie Hutchison.

Planning and council conflict

[edit]

In 2014 an appeal was launched to raise funds for a memorial to be built within Oxford to honour International Brigade volunteers with links to Oxfordshire.[4] Much of the funding for the memorial was generated by the sale of the book No Other Way: Oxfordshire and the Spanish Civil War 1936–39, a compilation of research by several local historians with oversight from Oxford University professor Tom Buchanan.[5] Other sources of funding included branches organisations including the Labour party, Green Party, Communist Party of Britain, National Union of Journalists, Unison, Trades Union Congress, and educational institutions including Ruskin College and The Queen's College.[6]

The current location was settled on after Oxford City Council rejected two proposals: the first was for the monument to be erected in Bonn Square in the city centre,[7] and the second, on a site adjacent to the main Oxford War Memorial near St Giles' Church.[8] Liberal Democrat councillors opposed the suggested locations and the creation of the monument was also opposed by heritage groups, including the Oxford Preservation Trust because it was felt to be out of character with the surrounding conservation area and the London Place Residents' Association.[9] The current placement of the memorial was the third proposed location.[10][11] Some objected to the memorial because it did not honour "both sides... in a spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness", and called the design "aggressive towards the memory of the victims of conflict".[12] Liberal Democrat councillor Elizabeth Wade opposed each proposed location for a monument in Oxford, although she claimed she was never opposed in principle. She described the second proposal on St Giles' near Oxford's First and Second World War memorials as “aggressive and triumphalist”.[13] Describing herself as a historian and speaking to the Oxford Mail, she then opposed the third and current location because she believed a monument with a red flag would glorify communism, despite no red flag ever being proposed to appear on the monument.[9] A writer in the communist Morning Star labelled opponents of the memorial as NIMBYs.[14]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Day Lewis, C (1959) [1938]. "The Volunteer". Overtures to Death and Other Poems. London: Jonathan Cape (2nd impression). p. 40. OCLC 1114389.
  2. ^ Jenkins, Stephanie (10 June 2017). "Oxford International Brigade". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  3. ^ Farman, Chris; Rose, Valery; Woolley, Liz (2015). No Other Way: Oxfordshire and the Spanish Civil War 1936–39. UK: Oxford International Brigade Memorial Committee. pp. 41–42. ISBN 9781-910448-052.
  4. ^ "Memorial appeal for Oxford Spanish Civil War volunteers". BBC. 12 March 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Oxfordshire's involvement in the Spanish Civil War discussed at upcoming talk". Oxford.gov.uk. 14 October 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  6. ^ Farman, Chris; Rose, Valery; Woolley, Liz (2015). No Other Way: Oxfordshire and the Spanish Civil War 1936–39. London: Oxford International Brigade Memorial Committee. pp. II.
  7. ^ "Installation of memorial stone. Land at Bonn Square, Oxford, Oxfordshire". Oxford City Council. 17 April 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  8. ^ "Installation of stone memorial. St Giles Parish Church, Woodstock Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire". Oxford City Council. 27 September 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  9. ^ a b Oliver, Matt (27 February 2017). "Plans for Oxford memorial to Spanish Civil War volunteers clears key hurdle". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  10. ^ "Installation of stone memorial. Junction of Headington Road and Morrell Avenue, Oxford, Oxfordshire". Oxford City Council. 6 December 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  11. ^ French, Andy (20 April 2017). "Date set to unveil Spanish Civil War memorial". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  12. ^ "Spanish Civil War memorial stone approved". BBC. 22 February 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  13. ^ "IBMT Newsletter issue 41" (PDF). international brigades. 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  14. ^ James, Luke (6 November 2016). "Nimbys block nod to heroes of Spain civil war in Oxford: Memorial to anti-fascist fighters 'too triumphalist' for some". The Morning Star. Retrieved 29 December 2020.

Further reading

[edit]

51°45′05″N 1°14′15″W / 51.75134°N 1.23742°W / 51.75134; -1.23742

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