Spain: Scotland and the IBMT

On 27^th July a sizeable crowd gathered in Duchess of Hamilton Park in Motherwell. International Brigade Memorial Trust (IBMT) members, trades unionists and friends came together for one of the annual commemorations of the International Brigade that now take place across Scotland.

September will see Glasgow's event take place on the 6^th and the Kirkcaldy's on the 27^th.

Prior to these, on August 7^th, a talk on the Luath Press book ‘Our Fathers Fought Franco’ will be part of the Edinburgh Fringe. Authors Willie Maley, Tam Watters, Lisa Croft and Jennie Renton will discuss their father’s (and in Lisa’s case, Grandfather’s) roles as Scots fighting in the Spanish Civil War.

Long standing Scotland Secretary of the IBMT, Mike Arnott, said, “The event at the Fringe looks fantastic. There is still great interest in the book. This adds to what the IBMT and local groups are doing across Scotland. Dundee in February complements the annual calendar of commemorations, in addition to Motherwell, Glasgow and Fife, and Aberdeen, Renton, Paisley and Irvine also regularly hold activities. Interest is building, both as the Brigaders’ legacy of anti-fascism strikes an increasing chord today and as next year’s 90^th anniversary of the outbreak of the conflict in Spain approaches”.

The International Brigade Memorial Trust keeps alive the memory of the 2,500 men and women from Britain and Ireland who volunteered to defend democracy and fight against fascism in Spain during the civil war of 1936-1939.

Published 3 August 2025.

Photograph of North Lanarkshire No Pasaran Committee’s Motherwell event.

For a review of the 'Our Fathers Fought Franco' book, click here.