Churchill's Spaniards: how veterans of the Spanish Civil War fought for Britain
Churchillās Spaniards: The Spanish Republicans Who Fought for Britain in WWII ā with Sean F. Scullion In this episode, I speak with historian Sean F. Scullion, author of Churchillās Spaniards, about a remarkable and little-known story: the Spanish Republicans who escaped the fall of the Second Republic, endured internment under Vichy France, and later volunteered to fight in the British Army against fascism from 1940 to 1945. Drawing on multi-lingual archival work and over 110 family interviews, Scullion reconstructs the routes these veterans tookāfrom the French Foreign Legion and North African labour camps to the Pioneer Corps, Commandos, SOE, and even the SASāand explores why many kept fighting despite exile, wounds, and the bitter knowledge that Franco would survive the war.Scullion also discusses his research method (triangulating sources across British, French, and Spanish archives), the challenge of language barriers inside British units, the post-war lives of these men in Britain (including the Spanish Ex-Servicemenās Association and links with trade unions), and the complicated geopolitics surrounding Churchillās efforts to keep Spain out of the war.What we coverWho were āChurchillās Spaniardsā? From Republican veterans to exiles who re-entered the fight under British command.Two waves of enlistment: 1940 (after service with French forces) and 1942ā44 (after release from Vichy internment in North Africa).Across the theatres: Norway, North Africa, Italy, Greece, the Mediterranean, Western Europeā as far as Burma.Units and roles: From enlistment via the Pioneer Corps to transfers into infantry, Commandos, SOE, and the SAS (with c. 15 Spaniards serving in the SAS).Motivation and ideology: Anti-fascist commitment, complex politics (including anarchist backgrounds), and hopesāultimately disappointedāthat the Allies would remove Franco.After 1945: Settlement in Britain, union activism, campaigning against Francoās regime, and the memory-work of families today.About today's guestSean F. Scullion is a historian and serving British Army officer. A bilingual SpanishāEnglish (and fluent French) researcher, he has spent nine years tracing this diaspora of Republican veterans and their wartime service under British command, combining multilingual archival research with a large and growing network of families across Britain, Spain, and France.Recommended readingSean F. Scullion, Churchillās Spaniards (paperback edition available now; check independent booksellers or buy direct from the publisher).Background on the Spanish Republicans in exile, Vichy internment in North Africa, and the Pioneer Corps in WWII.CreditsHost: Nick Shepley ā¢ Explaining History Podcast Guest: Sean F. Scullion Production: Explaining HistoryIf you enjoy the show, please rate and review on your podcast app and share with a friend or colleague teaching/learning modern European history.Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.āø Support the Show & Get Exclusive ContentBecome a Patron: patreon.com/explaininghistoryāø Join the Community & Continue the ConversationFacebook Group: facebook.com/groups/ExplainingHistoryPodcastSubstack: theexplaininghistorypodcast.substack.comāø Read Articles & Go DeeperWebsite: explaininghistory.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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