Memories of the Spanish Civil War, by Frank Ellis

Memories of the Spanish Civil War, by Frank Ellis, with an introduction and notes by Gillian Ellis.

Booklet published by Jolly George Press in 2011, 44 pages. A5 size booklet (N4228)

Brand New Booklet

Frank was a working class lad from Nottinghamshire who joined the International Brigades and fought against fascism during the Spanish Civil War.

In this booklet (which details a speech Frank gave on his experiences in Spain), he provides some fascinating personal recollections, including how he travelled to Spain through France and over the Pyrenees, the training he received when he got there, and the equipment they were given. He describes listening to Harry Pollitt under the orange groves of Aragon, he tackles the internal divisions in the left that erupted in Barcelona in May 1937, and he even mentions the poor quality of military rations!

Frank was a lifelong communist and trade unionist, and this short account provides an insight into one man’s experiences during that momentous conflict.

The booklet also includes a brief introduction by his daughter, Gillian Ellis, as well as several pages of endnotes (providing additional details of events and people that Frank mentions during his speech - including such things as the Co-operative Hall in Hucknall, the storming of the Montana Barracks in Madrid in 1936, Potato Jones, other Nottinghamshire men who fought in Spain, Enrique Lister and El Campesino, and much more!). At the very end of the booklet there is also a useful list of suggested further reading, detailing around 58 titles on the conflict.