Saklatava Battalion
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The Saklatvala Battalion (also known as the British Battalion) was a battalion in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War. The battalion served in Spain from 1936 to 1938.
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[edit] History
[edit] Early Volunteers
A number of British volunteers, including Tom Wintringham and Nat Cohen, arrived in Spain during August-September 1936 and formed the Tom Mann Centuria - a rifle company in the Thaelmann (German-speaking) Battalion. The Thaelman Battalion served as part of XIIth International Brigade and fought in defense of Madrid, including the battle for University City.
Another group of British volunteers, including Jock Cunningham and John Cornford, fought as part of the Commune de Paris (French-speaking) Battalion. The Commune de Paris Battalion served as part of XIth International Brigade and fought in defense of Madrid, including the battles for University City and Casa de Campo.
In December 1936, 145 British volunteers for the International Brigades were grouped together as No.1 Company of the La Marseillaise (French-speaking) Battalion. The company fought on the Córdoba front during December, and on the Madrid front during January 1937. Heavy fighting on 15 January at Las Rozas reduced the active ranks to 67.
[edit] Formation of the British Battalion
In January 1937, the survivors of No.1 Company joined with 450 new British volunteers at Madrigueras, near Albacete, the the International Brigades Headquarters. A new "British-speaking battalion" comprising British, Irish, Australian volunteers was formed as part of the XVth International Brigade. The battalion had four companies: No.1, No.3, and No.4 were rifle companies, and No.2 was a machine gun company.
The battalion was named in honour of Shapurji Saklatvala, the former Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) Member of Parliament (MP) for Battersea, but was colloquially referred to as the "British Battalion" ("el battalion ingles"). Other battalions in the XVth Brigade included the American Abraham Lincoln Battalion, the Balkan Dimitrov Battalion, and the Franco-Belgian 6 Février Battalion.
[edit] Jamara, 1937
In February 1937, the battalion fought at the Battle of Jarama. In single day's bloody fighting on 12 February against Moors from Franco's Army of Africa, the British battalion suffered 275 casualties in No.1, No.3, and No.4 companies - leaving 125 rifleman fit for duty. On the second day of fighting, the machinegun company was surrounded by Fascists and many of its members were captured. The battalion commander Tom Wintringham was injured, and Jock Cunningham took command of the battalion's 140 survivors. The battalion remained in the trenches at Jamara until 17 June 1937.
[edit] Brunete, 1937
Reinforced by new recruits and strengthened by returnees from hospital, the British battalion mustered 331 brigadistas at the Battle of Brunete. On 6 July the XVth Brigade occupied the villages of Romanillos and Boadilla del Monte, and by midnight captured the village of Villanueva de la Canada. The following day the British were ordered to advance on Mosquito Ridge, a piece of high ground which overlooked the battalion’s original objectives. As they left Villanueva de la Canada they were bombed by Junkers aircraft from the Condor Legion and shelled by Fascist artillery. The two-hour barrage and destivating heat caused heavy casualties and prevented the battalion reaching Mosquito Ridge before the Fascists rushed reinforcements to defend the position. Only 42 members of the battalion were left fit for service, and the battalion was withdrawn into a reserve position.
[edit] Aragon, 1937
In mid-August, the Republican 35th Division, which included XVth Brigade, was moved to Aragon. The focus of the Aragon campaign was to draw-off Fascist attacks on Santander and to capture the strategic city of Saragossa. On 25th August the battalion took part in street fighting to capture the Fascist strongpoint at Quinto. On 25th August the battalion attacked a stong Fascist position at Purburrel Hill, and was repulsed by intense rifle and machine gun fire. The following day another assault was made on the hill, supported by the XVth Brigade antitank artillery battery, and this time the attack succeeded. Heavy fighting had reduced the battalion to 100 men, and a number of Spanish troops were drafted as reinforcements for the battalion.
[edit] Teruel, 1938
[edit] Ebro, 1938
[edit] Disbandment of the British Battalion
On 21st September 1938, Juan Negrin announced to the League of Nations that the Republican government would disband the International Brigades. The British battalion was withdrawn into a reserve position at the end of September 1938, and on 17th October, the battalion took part in the International Brigades' farewell parade through Barcelona. President Azaña and Prime Minister Negrin joined the crowds who took part in one of the last great Republican celebrations. On disbandment, 305 British volunteers left Spain. They arrived at Victoria Station on 7th December, to be met by a crowd of supporters including Clem Attlee, Stafford Cripps, Willie Gallacher, and Will Lawther.
[edit] International Brigade Memorial Trust
The International Brigade Memorial Trust has been established by veterans and historians to preserve and catalog the history of the British Battalion.
[edit] Roll of Honour
The IBMT has compiled a Roll of Honour, listing the members of the British battalion who fell in Spain. The list is compiled primarily from documents held in the International Brigade Archive in the Marx Memorial Library, London and the International Brigade Archive in the Russian Centre for the Preservation and Study of Recent Historical Documents, Moscow.
[edit] Notable Members of the British Battalion
- Bill Alexander - industrial chemist, commander of the British Battalion from 1938, later Assistant General Secretary of the CPGB.
- Christopher Caudwell - journalist, poet, killed in action at Jamara.
- Fred Copeman - former sailer, organizer of the Invergordon Mutiny, commander of the British Battalion during 1937.
- John Cornford - poet, great-grandson of the naturalist Charles Darwin.
- Len Crome - doctor, neuropathologist, winner of the Military Cross during the Second World War.
- Walter Gregory - author of The Shallow Grave.
- Jack Jones - later General Secretary of the Transport & General Workers Union.
- Laurie Lee - poet, novelist, author of Cider with Rosie.
- Esmond Romilly - journalist, nephew of Winston Churchill.
- Frank Ryan - Irish Republican, leader of the Connolly Column attached to the British Battalion 1936-37.
- Stephen Spender - poet, essayist, professor at University College, London, knighted 1983.
- Tom Wintringham - journalist, author, commander of the British Battalion to 1937.
[edit] Further reading
- British Volunteers for Liberty: Spain, 1936-39, Bill Alexander, Lawrence & Wishart, 1983, ISBN 0-85315-564-X.
- No to Franco, the Struggle Never Stopped, 1939-1975, Bill Alexander, 1992, ISBN 0-9519667-0-7.
- British Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War, Richard Baxell, Routledge, 2004, ISBN 0-203-64785-8.
- The Shallow Grave: Memoir of the Spanish Civil War, Walter Gregory, Gollancz, 1986, ISBN 0-575-03790-3.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- The International Brigade Memorial Trust - www.international-brigades.org.uk
- History of the British Battalion, XV International Brigade - www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/
- Irish vol. in SCW
- RealAudio interviews with British Battalion veterans - www.iwm.org.uk
- Men who fought Franco fêted as Spain finally confronts its past - The Times, 15 July 2006
