Oxford Spanish Civil War memorial

The Oxford Spanish Civil War memorial is a monument in Oxford dedicated to local residents who fought in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) against Nationalist forces backed by Hitler and Mussolini. 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]

Oxford Spanish Civil War memorial
Oxford, England
For International Brigades
Unveiled10 June 2017
Location
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 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

Six names of the dead are inscribed onto the front of the memorial:

  • Anthony Carritt (1914-1937)
  • Edward Cooper (1912-1937)
  • Lewis Clive (1910-1938)
  • Herbert Fisher (1910-1938)
  • Ralph Fox (1900-1936)
  • John Rickman (1910-1937)

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] with Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) activist Abe Lazarus successfully organising Oxford students to break up fascist meetings at Oxford Town Hall.[4] 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 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 honur of International Brigade volunteers with links to Oxfordshire.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7]

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 the suggested locations. The creation of the monument was also opposed by the Oxford Preservation Trust and the London Place Residents' Association.[8] The current placement of the memorial was the third proposed location, with the previous two having their planning applications rejected by Oxford City Council.[9] The first proposed spot was Bonn Square which was rejected citing that granite was not a stone native to Oxford.[10] The second proposed location was St Giles' which was also rejected by councillors, claiming that the close proximity of an anti-fascist memorial to current war memorials would insult the memory of people who died during the Second World War.[10] 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".[11]

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”.[12] 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.[8] Her rejection of every proposal led to the communist Morning Star commentators labelling her as a NIMBY.[10]

References
  1. Jenkins, Stephanie (10 June 2017). "Oxford International Brigade". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  2. 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.
  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. Simon, Meddick; Payne, Liz; Katz, Phil (2020). Red Lives: Communists and the Struggle for Socialism. UK: Manifesto Press Cooperative Limited. p. 122. ISBN 978-1-907464-45-4.
  5. "Memorial appeal for Oxford Spanish Civil War volunteers". BBC. 12 March 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  6. "Oxfordshire's involvement in the Spanish Civil War discussed at upcoming talk". Oxford.gov.uk. 14 October 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  7. 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.
  8. Oliver, Matt (27 February 2017). "Plans for Oxford memorial to Spanish Civil War volunteers clears key hurdle". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  9. French, Andy (20 April 2017). "Date set to unveil Spanish Civil War memorial". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  10. 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.
  11. "Spanish Civil War memorial stone approved". BBC. 22 February 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  12. "IBMT Newsletter issue 41" (PDF). international brigades. 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2020.

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