In July 1936 a war exploded in Spain that was bound to become the battlefield of an ancestral and modern fight at the same time. It was a war that attracted the whole world’s attention from the fascist governments of nazi Germany and Mussolini’s Italy to the hearts of several thousand anonymous volunteers ready to fight the menace of fascism who were from more than 50 countries across the five continents.
174 people from Wales volunteered to go to Spain to fight in the ranks of the International Brigades against the fascist hordes. 33 of them died defending republican positions during several battles.
Today their bodies rest in Spanish soil, the majority of them in common unmarked shallow graves in the battlefields where they died. However, their legacy is still present in the memory of the Spanish people, as well as in the minds of the Welsh citizens and the rest of the world.
Unfortunately, in Spain we still have a long way to go to fully reject fascism, war and dictatorship, as well as in remembering those who fought for the ideals of Peace, Democracy, Liberty and Equality. Maybe one day tributes will arise in Spain that acknowledge the many anonymous heroes who died for such elevated causes and were then paid by being forgotten...
Meanwhile, in places where fascism did not take root, such as in Wales, the monuments and memorials to their gallant antifascists can be found around the whole country, from its more populated cities to its greener and quieter valleys and some of its more beautiful seaside towns.
This photographic compilation of memorial plaques and monuments is an attempt to make the memory of the antifascist fight and the memory of those who fought for this cause, especially of those who made the Supreme Sacrifice, last forever.
THEY SHALL NOT PASS!