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Homage to Caledonia Daniel Gray

Homage to Caledonia By Daniel Gray

Homage to Caledonia by Daniel Gray


$31.99
Condition - Like New
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Summary

The Spanish civil war was a call to arms for 2,400 British volunteers, of which around a quarter were from Scotland. Homage to Caledonia traces the involvement of the Scottish people, both at home and in Spain. With foreword by Tony Benn.

Homage to Caledonia Summary

Homage to Caledonia: Scotland and the Spanish Civil War by Daniel Gray

Thirty-five thousand people from acrossthe world volunteered to join the armedresistance in a war on fascism. Morepeople, proportionately, went fromScotland than any other country, and theentire nation was gripped by the conflict.What drove so many ordinary Scots tovolunteer for a foreign war?Their stories are powerfully and honestlytold, often in their own words: theordinary men and women who madetheir way to Spain over the Pyreneeswhen the UK government banned anyonefrom going to support either side;the nurses and ambulance personnelwho discovered for themselves thehorrors of modern warfare; and thepeople back home who defied theirpoverty to give generously to theSpanish republican cause.Even in war there are light-heartedmoments: a Scottish volunteer drunkenlyurinating in his general's boots, enduringthe dark comedy of learning to shootwith sticks amidst a scarcity of rifles,or enjoying the surreal experience ofraising a dram with Errol Flynn.They went from all over the country:Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee,Fife and the Highlands, and they foughtto save Scotland, and the world, fromthe growing threat of fascism.

Homage to Caledonia Reviews

'Daniel Gray's important and powerful book Homage toCaledonia tells the story of those deeply committedand courageous Scots who volunteered to fight for democracyand socialism against General Franco and his forces.' TONY BENN

About Daniel Gray

Daniel Gray graduated with a politics and history degree from Newcastle University where he focussed in particular on foreign intervention in the Spanish Civil War. Daniel has carried out extensive research into Scotland's role in the Spanish Civil War, and lectured throughout Scotland on the topic. He has also written on the topic for Discover magazine and the Scotsman. He is currently employed as a curator in the National Library of Scotland, working on 19th century literary manuscripts contained within the John Murray Archive and lives in Edinburgh.

Table of Contents

- Foreword by Tony Benn- William Jackson's letter explaining the Spanish war to his little sister- Short first person narrative in Scots of fallen Scots soldier, by Willy Maley- Contemporary Scotland- Spain's path to war- Decisions to go to Spain, exits and journeys- Arrivals and training- Early fighting: Boadilla, Madrid and the Scottish Chapayev- The Battle of Jarama- The Battle of Brunete- Prisoners of war: the cases of Maley, Rutherford et al- Other assistance: The Scottish Ambulance Unit, and Annie Murray-The Homefront: - fundraising, campaigning, and being left alone. Focus here on the role of women. - Montrose Basque Children's Home -public opinion in Scotland, including pro-Franco- 'From the red, red heart of the world': The Independent Labour Party and other Scots in Spain. To include stories of Bob Smillie's suspicious death, and Ethel MacDonald, the 'Scottish Scarlet Pimpernel' - Brigade: Moscow's toy?- Siege at Belchite- Aragon: Teruel, Segura, Calacette- Spring 1938: retreat- Battle of the Ebro- Journeys home- Aftermath: back to war and later life- Conclusions - Why so many Scots? - Motivations for going

Additional information

GOR013467010
9781906307646
1906307644
Homage to Caledonia: Scotland and the Spanish Civil War by Daniel Gray
Used - Like New
Hardback
Luath Press Ltd
2008-11-01
256
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
The book has been read, but looks new. The book cover has no visible wear, and the dust jacket is included if applicable. No missing or damaged pages, no tears, possible very minimal creasing, no underlining or highlighting of text, and no writing in the margins

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