Christmas and New Year greetings card 1937/38
International Brigade Memorial Trust
Christmas and New Year 1937/8 greetings card sent to British International Brigaders in Spain; 126mm x 191mm; artist unknown. It was signed by Communist Party General Secretary Harry Pollitt and, according to memoirs written by volunteers, came in a parcel also containing tea, sugar, cocoa, chocolate, cigarettes, toothpaste, razor-blades and two Penguin novels.
Inside the card were these lines from ‘The March of the Workers’ by William Morris:
What is this – the sound and rumour? What is this that all men hear,
Like the wind in hollow valleys when the storm is drawing near,
Like the rolling-on of the ocean in the eventide of fear?
'Tis the people marching on.
This original card was donated to the International Brigade Memorial Trust and is now in the archives of the Marx Memorial Library in London (SC/IBA/5/4/2/2).
The Spanish Civil War
Over 35,000 men and women from around the world served in the International Brigades. About 2,500 of them were from Britain and Ireland. They served mostly in the British Battalion, but some in the medical services and in other military units; 526 of them gave their lives.
Though General Franco ultimately iumphed – thanks to support from Hitler and Mussolini and Britain’s policy of appeasement towards fascism – the volunteers who went to Spain continue to inspire the world by their example of solidarity, courage and sacrifice.
¡No pasarán!
International Brigades Memorial Trust
The International Brigade Memorial Trust keeps alive the memory and spirit of the men and women who fought fascism and defended democracy in the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39. We also honour all those at home who supported the Brigades and who helped the cause of the Spanish Republic.
Find out more about the International Brigades and the work of the IBMT on our website, where you can also become a member and support the Trust in other ways: www.international-brigades.org.uk
Designed and printed by unionised labour. www.kavitagraphics.co.uk and www.rapspiderweb.co.uk
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