Politics > Pyrmont at War > Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War (1936-39) was widely seen as a conflict of European and even global significance, pitting all on the left – democrats, socialists, communists or anarchists – against everyone on the right – conservatives, nationalists or fascists. For many people, the future of democracy, Europe and the world hung in the balance. Australia’s government, like Britain’s, remained neutral, but a few men fought for the Fascist forces led by Generalissimo Francisco Franco, and the International Brigades attracted larger numbers on the left to defend the Spanish Republic.
In the 1930s, the Communist Party was prominent in Ultimo and Pyrmont, especially representing tenants under threat of eviction. Big Bill Young, living by his wits and his remarkable physical strength, was drawn to the Party’s people and its policies - so impressed that he left his son Billy in the care of friends, and sailed to join the International Brigades. He was killed in the Battle of the Ebro in 1938. The Party rallied for Billy, throwing a party and collecting tools, clothes and a bicycle, but they had no long-term support to offer. Billy himself enlisted for the next war.
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