WILLIAM LOWER and Robert Mackie, both shipyard workers in 1930s Sunderland, struggled to maintain steady jobs and were actively involved in the National Unemployed Workers Movement (NUWM). Both were staunch anti-fascists, fighting locally before taking the bold step to join the struggle for international socialism in the Spanish civil war as part of the International Brigade.

Together, they travelled aboard the ship Ciudad de Barcelona when crossing the Pyrenees was no longer an option. Tragically, William lost his life when the ship was torpedoed by an Italian submarine supporting Franco. Robert survived the attack but died just six weeks later, serving in the British Battalion of the XV International Brigade, at the Battle of Brunete.

Their sacrifice is commemorated at the Solidarity Park monument on the beach of Malgrat de Mar in Catalunya, created with the participation of over 700 people and indirectly involving thousands more. The monument celebrates the memory of all international brigaders who perished on the Ciudad de Barcelona. Every year, their legacy is honoured through an international anti-fascist arts festival and an educational programme engaging both local and international students in a historical memory arts project.