Rotherham Friends Of The International Brigade

As a town, Rotherham has a proud history of fighting Fascism. Led by delegates from Rotherham Trades Union Council, including Tommy James, a meeting of Rotherham Fascists at the Assembly Rooms and addressed by William Joyce, later known as Lord Haw Haw, was disrupted.

In 1976, during the Parliamentary By-Election in Rotherham, in which the National Front marched through the town in support of their candidate, a huge counter-demonstration, mustered by the Trades Council in co-operation with the Anti-Nazi League, affirmed the authority of the democratic non-racist ideal.

More recently, anti-fascists and anti-racists have mobilised against the efforts of fascist groups to gain a toehold in Rotherham.

Our group was set up to keep alive the memory of the sacrifice of the International Brigade, especially the men and women of Rotherham and South Yorkshire, but also to inform and inspire a new generation in the fight against fascism and discrimination in all its form today.

Our achievements to date include the siting of a plaque naming all the known Brigaders from Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster at Wortley Hall, having all their names included in the Walk of Art at Yorkshire Sculpture Park and reprinting of the book by Brian Lewis and Bill Gledhill, Tommy James: A Lion of a Man, which includes his account of fighting in Spain - Pounded Earth.