In the 1930s, 35,000 men and women from 61 different countries travelled to Spain to defend democracy against General Franco’s army. Collectively, they are remembered as the International Brigades.

In this episode of Travels Through Time, the journalist and historian Giles Tremlett takes us back to the year 1936 to learn more about the International Brigades. How important were they? Who were the leaders? How do we remember them today?

For much, much more, head to our website: tttpodcast.com

Giles Tremlett’s The International Brigades: Fascism, Freedom and the Spanish Civil War is recently published in hrdback by Bloomsbury.

Show notes

Scene One: Barcelona on July 19, 1936 - The day that the (failed) coup launched by General Franco and others reaches Barcelona

Scene Two: Paris, Quai d'Orsay - October 10 1936 - Groups of young men hang around the platform for the night-train to Marseilles. They include Cambridge poet John Cornford, future Harvard Classics professor Bernard Knox, communist writer John Sommerfield and British-based German exile painter Jan Kurzke.

Scene Three: Madrid - November 8 1936 - The same people who arrived just four weeks earlier are now in uniform marching up the Gran Via in Madrid to the University City, which will soon become the front line.

Memento: A varsity-style team jacket worn by the USA team for the People's Olympiad

People/Social

Presenter: Peter Moore

Interview: John Hillman

Guest: Giles Tremlett

Production: Maria Nolan

Podcast partner: Colorgraph

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