Honouring the heroes of Sunderland and Tyneside who valiantly fought fascism 90 years ago

From an intelligence expert to a ship’s captain who repeatedly broke through the sea blockades, the volunteers from the Sunderland and Newcastle areas who fought fascism during the 1930s Spanish Civil War will be commemorated at two events in October.

Some travelled to Spain as volunteer soldiers

Mowbray Park and Newcastle Civic Centre are the locations for events which honour local men and women who travelled to Spain as volunteer soldiers, nurses or other roles.

It also pays tribute to others who remained in the North East but supported the Spanish people in other ways.

Jamie Tucknutt, secretary of the Solidarity Sunderland group, said: “We now have a much clearer picture of the support Sunderland gave to the Spanish government and also anti-fascist activities on Wearside in the 1930s before the Spanish Civil War. We will present some of this information at the Mowbray Park event.

‘Captain Joseph Andrews got through Franco's sea blockades four times’

“We will remember the five Sunderland volunteers who lost their lives in Spain and other volunteers, such as the publisher Frank Graham, the weightlifting champion Robert Qualie and the master of the MV Thorpehall ship, Captain Joseph Andrews, from Roker, who got through Franco's sea blockades four times to deliver aid to northern Spain.”

The North East Volunteers for Liberty group is behind the Sunderland Mowbray Park event on Sunday, October 26, and it will start at 2pm.

Meanwhile Newcastle TUC is planning a Tyneside event at the International Brigade memorial in the Newcastle Civic Centre grounds with final details to be confirmed by the organisers.

The Spanish Civil War erupted in 1936 after a right-wing army general, Francisco Franco, launched a military coup against Spain's democratic government.

Often seen as the 'first battle' of World War II

Because of the international forces involved, including military support for Franco from Nazi Germany and fascist Italy, the Spanish Civil War is often seen as the 'first battle' of World War II.

The International Brigade was formed with volunteer soldiers from across the world to support the Spanish government and its remaining loyal troops.

32 International Brigade volunteers from the North East of England lost their lives in Spain. Their names will be read out at the October events and also a parallel commemoration in Billingham, Teesside.

Volunteers from Wearside who lost their lives in Spain were Thomas Carter, linked to Sunderland and Hartlepool; Thomas Dolan, William Lower and Robert Mackie, all from Sunderland, and Arthur McNally of New Herrington.

Tyneside volunteers who lost their lives were Steve Codling and Robert Coutts, both from South Shields; Bob Elliott of Cambois, William Johnson of Seaton Sluice, Frank Keery and Alfred Lichfield, both from Gateshead; John Palzeard from South Shields, Harry Reynolds of Gateshead, Harry Smith of Newcastle, Robert Traill of Whitley Bay, Samuel 'Eddie' Walsh of Newcastle, and Edward Wilkinson of South Shields.

In Sunderland, campaigners launched Solidarity Sunderland to commemorate people from Wearside who served in Spain with the International Brigade or helped Spain in other ways.

Women will also be highlighted such as Enid Ramshaw, from Houghton Le Spring, who volunteered as a nurse in Spain; and Eileen O'Shaughnessy Blair, born in South Shields and a Sunderland Church High School pupil, who went to Spain to coordinate volunteers. She was the first wife of the author George Orwell, who wrote about the civil war in Homage to Catalonia. Her grave is in West Jesmond, Newcastle.