Tens of thousands of men and women from around the world volunteered to fight in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), motivated by the chance to finally fight back against the rising tide of fascism. In this episode, we dive into the life and letters of one of those volunteers: John Cornford, the very first British volunteer, who wrote home from Spain to his girlfriend.

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Resources:

John Cornford’s letters to Margot Heinemann, reference HEIN/1/1/1, are held in the Margot Heinemann Papers at the Special Collections and Archives, Goldsmiths, University of London.

Ralph Fox’s MI5 files (KV2/1376-1377) can be accessed on The National Archives, UK, Discovery catalogue.

Music includes:

Waltz of Treachery by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4606-waltz-of-treachery 

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Sonatina in C Minor by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4393-sonatina-in-c-minor 

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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