Spanish Civil War commemorative window

25 Nov 2015

A new stained glass window, marking the contribution of the Belfast citizens who joined the International Brigade during the Spanish Civil War, has been unveiled in City Hall.

Some 320 volunteers from the island of Ireland joined the Fifteenth International Brigade in 1936. Of these, 48 were born in Belfast, of whom 12 died in Spain.

The commemorative window was unveiled by the Lord Mayor, Councillor Arder Carson, in the presence of members of the local International Brigade Commemoration Committee, relatives of those who fought, and the Honorary Spanish Consul, Trevor McBurney.

Pointing out that the decision to install the window had received unanimous cross-party support from Belfast City Council, the Lord Mayor said:

“The Spanish Civil War became, for many, an opportunity to stand against the growth of fascism, with men and women from all over the world answering the call to defend democracy and their counterparts in Spain.”

The Lord Mayor was joined for the unveiling by Ciaran Crossey, Chair of the International Brigades Commemoration Committee (IBCC), who said that it was important to remember not only the sacrifice of the overseas volunteers who fought during the Spanish Civil War, but also the reasons why they did so.

“Those who went out to face danger did so because they thought it was a chance of stopping the spread of fascism. Within days of Franco and co. launching their military takeover, Hitler and Mussolini had given vital military and air force support. This led to up to 40,000 volunteers, from dozens of countries, mobilising to fight fascism, in the hope that if Franco, with Hitler and Mussolini, was stopped in Spain, then maybe WW2 could be averted.”

Mr Crossey pointed out that, when the IBCC was set up in 2005, there was one memorial to the local men who had volunteered and died.

“Through our actions, and because we’ve encouraged and worked with a number of other groups, the number of plaques, statues, cairns, etc. now stands at 15 – including two murals in Belfast. The IBCC is proud to say that this window marks a landmark in our campaign to ensure the memory of those who mobilised against fascism is not forgotten.”