Blantyre monument honouring men killed in the Spanish Civil War is unveiled

Oct 29 2009 by Chris Clements, Hamilton Advertiser

A MONUMENT to the three Blantyre men killed in the Spanish Civil War was finally unveiled last weekend.

The sculpture was unveiled at noon on Saturday to commemorates the heroism of Thomas Brannan, William Fox and Thomas Fleck, who died during the conflict that lasted from 1936 to 1939.

The trio were part of a larger group from Lanarkshire who joined the International Brigades to fight in support of the Spanish government against the military coup of General Franco.

The Blantyre memorial has long been on the agenda after Trades Union Council member and UNISON secretary Stephen Smellie wrote to the Advertiser in 2007 suggesting a tribute to the fallen.

Since then, the veterans’ families have campaigned for the memorial, receiving backing from the South Lanarkshire Trades Union Council, with donations from trade union branches and the Labour Party in Blantyre.

A number of special guests were invited to attend the ceremony at the Miners’ Welfare Social Club in Calder Street, including South Lanarkshire Provost Russell Clearie, during which Frank Casey’s specially designed bronze sculpture was unveiled by the living relatives of the fallen.

The late Frank Doonin, founder of Doonin Plant Ltd, donated three large stones which form the basis of the memorial, with former Hamilton man Mr Casey designing the sculpture to be mounted on the stones.

In 1936, thousands of men and women from Europe volunteered to fight to defend the Spanish people against fascism, and Scotland provided more volunteers per head of population than any other country.

In a letter to the Advertiser last week, Mr Casey explained why he thought the memorial was important for the community.

He said: “In these days of bogus celebrity there has never been a greater need to commemorate those true heroes who had the foresight to see that another world war was not inevitable and that the threat to civilisation known as fascism could be buried in Spain.

“They were neither dupes nor adventurers, but courageous men. Fleck in particular knew all about the horrors of modern mechanised warfare. Having won the Military Medal in France, he still felt it necessary to take up arms again in defence of the Spanish people.

“This work came about through the generous support of the local community and the South Lanarkshire Trades Council.”