Oxford Spanish Civil War memorial
Oxford Spanish Civil War memorial | |
---|---|
Oxford, England | |
For International Brigades | |
Unveiled | 10 June 2017 |
Location | East Oxford, Headington Hill |
Designed by | Charlie 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 1936-39 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.' C Day Lewis |
The Oxford Spanish Civil War memorial is a monument in Oxford dedicated to local residents who fought alongside the International Brigades in 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.[1]
The memorial is dedicated to all the volunteers with links to Oxfordshire who supported the International Brigades, and inscribed onto the front are the names of the six volunteers who were killed during the war. The six names of the dead are inscribed onto the front of the memorial:
- Anthony Carritt (1914-1937) - Member of the Carritt family, famous for its connections to leftist rebels and academics.
- Edward Cooper (1912-1937) - CPGB Communist activist and worker for the Morning Star.
- Lewis Clive (1910-1938) - Olympic medalist in rowing and Christ Church graduate.
- Herbert Fisher (1910-1938) - Relative of Virginia Woolf and Ralph Vaughan Williams.
- Ralph Winston Fox (1900-1936) - CPGB Communist activist and biographer of Vladimir Lenin and Genghis Khan.
- John Rickman (1910-1937) - CPGB Communist activist, anti-poverty campaigner, and expert on church architecture.
Background
During the Spanish Civil War, 29 British people with connections to Oxfordshire joined the International Brigades, with two others joining POUM.[2] Most of the volunteers were communist activists, and many had links to Britain's Jewish communities. Alongside oganisations 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]
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 Baron Milford, Communist organiser Carl Marzani, Communist leader Claud Cockburn, Marxist historian Tom Wintringham, and journalist Giles Romilly.
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.[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 UK 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 proposals for the monument to be erected within Oxford city centre, with Liberal Democrat councillors opposing all the suggested locations. The creation of the monument was opposed heritage groups, including the Oxford Preservation Trust because it was felt to be out of character with the surrounding conservation area and and the London Place Residents' Association.[7] The current placement of the memorial was the third proposed location, with the previous two having their planning applications rejected by Oxford City Council.[8] 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".[9]
Liberal Democrat City Councillor and historian Elizabeth Wade opposed the memorial as "an inappropriate symbol of totalitarian ideology" and "aggressive".[7]
See also
- Charlie Hutchison
- Uncomfortable Oxford
- Shapurji Saklatvala
- Harry Pollitt
- Bill Alexander
- Norman Le Brocq
- Alec Wainman
References
- ^ Jenkins, Stephanie (10 June 2017). "Oxford International Brigade". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Farman, Chris; Rose, Valery; Woolley, Liz (2015). No Other Way: Oxfordshire and the Spanish Civil War 1936-39. UK: Oxford International Brigade Memorial Committee. p. 1. ISBN 9781 910448 052.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Memorial appeal for Oxford Spanish Civil War volunteers". BBC. 12 March 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Oxfordshire's involvement in the Spanish Civil War discussed at upcoming talk". Oxford.gov.uk. 14 October 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ French, Andy (20 April 2017). "Date set to unveil Spanish Civil War memorial". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Spanish Civil War memorial stone approved". BBC. 22 February 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link)