Overview

Taking inspiration from a police informer’s comment that his workmates had gone “Spain mad” in response to the Spanish Civil War, this book uses biographical studies to explore the nature of British engagement with the conflict. The opening chapter presents a general analysis of the subject and assesses the available evidence. Some 2400 Britons volunteered to fight in the conflict and some 500 died there. Accordingly, the International Brigades are well represented in the book, with chapters on two of the commanders of the British Battalion (Wilfred Macartney and Fred Copeman) and the Anglo-Canadian volunteer Frank Whitfield. Two of the other subjects (George Orwell and Felicia Browne) fought in other units. However, the book shows that engagement in the Civil War could take many forms: hence, the chapters on the journalist Philip Jordan, clergyman E. O. Iredell, and the humanitarian activist and politician G.T. Garratt. The remaining chapters look at three historians and writers who have shaped the understanding of the Civil War in Britain: Orwell, Hugh Thomas and Jim Fyrth. The book is based on extensive new research, and many of these subjects have never previously been studied in any depth.

Full Product Details

Author:   Tom Buchanan
Publisher:   Liverpool University Press
Imprint:   Liverpool University Press
ISBN:  

9781835536674

ISBN 10:   1835536670
Pages:   256
Publication Date:   11 June 2024
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgements Chapter 1: “Spain mad”? Pro-Republican Activism during the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939 Chapter 2: Philip Jordan and the ambiguities of anti-Fascism Chapter 3: Building the “Kingdom of God on earth”: Reverend E.O. Iredell and the Spanish Civil War Chapter 4: Drake’s Drum: G. T. Garratt and the Plymouth Drake by-election of June 1937 Chapter 5: “Professional survivor”: the notorious life of Wilfred Macartney Chapter 6: “Fred Bloody Copeman”: from mutiny to Moral Re-Armament Chapter 7: Edith and Felicia: Dangerous journeys Chapter 8: George Orwell and the political world of Homage to Catalonia Chapter 9: 1961: Hugh Thomas at the turning point Chapter 10: “Lifting the curtain”: Jim Fyrth and The Signal was Spain Chapter 11: A Plaque for Azuara: In Search of Frank Whitfield Afterword Select Bibliography

Reviews

‘This work contains all the qualities of his previous books and articles on Britain and Spain: a crisp and engaging writing style, detailed research, and a sympathetic but not uncritical approach to the historical actors under investigation. The result is a thoroughly enjoyable book full of original insights.’ Julius Ruiz

Author Information

Tom Buchanan is Professor of Modern British and European History at the University of Oxford's Department for Continuing Education, and a Fellow of Kellogg College. He is the author of three books and numerous articles on British involvement in the Spanish Civil War. His most recent book is Amnesty International and Human Rights Activism in Postwar Britain, 1945-1977 (Cambridge University Press, 2020).

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions