AS WE mark the 90th anniversary of the International Brigades travelling to Spain to fight fascism, it is vital we reflect on the bravery and political importance of this act of internationalism.
 
From early on as a railway worker and RMT member, I’ve been acutely aware of how more than 100 rail workers and seamen joined in this fight, many of them never to return home.

The pride my union takes in these people is second to none.

We honour them at our HQ with a plaque emblazoned with the names of all those NUR and NUS members who fought against Franco.

One of the NUR men to stand out is Jim Prendergast. I learnt a lot about him on a visit I made to the Marx Memorial Library several years ago.

An early volunteer to the Brigades, Jim saw combat and only narrowly avoided death at Lopera, near Cordoba.

Once elected as a political delegate to the Irish section of the International Brigades, Jim became an officer and was wounded in heavy fighting at Jarama in early 1937.

He also wrote regularly for the Daily Worker, the precursor to the Morning Star, while on duty in Spain and later, after surviving Spain, would enrol into the Royal Air Force as a rear gunner taking on Nazi Germany in the second world war.

His opposition to fascism and racism was total and he carried on that proud work in the NUR, leading a campaign that ended the racial segregation on London railways. This 12-year policy had previously barred black people from being employed in certain higher-paying jobs.

We are proud of our affiliation with the International Brigade Memorial Trust (IBMT), and the role it continues to play not only in preserving the memory of the International Brigaders but its continued opposition to modern-day fascism and racism.

Learning about history takes on extra meaning when we apply it to today’s circumstances and confront the challenges that face us.

That’s why our young members hold an annual weekend course at the Marx Memorial Library to explore the history of the Spanish civil war and the continuing importance of internationalism.

A couple of years ago, RMT launched a new pamphlet, They Shall Not Pass, which tells the story of the role the National Union of Railwaymen and the National Union of Seamen played in opposing fascism at home and abroad.

Jointly published with the IBMT, this pamphlet uses archive material to reveal the extensive involvement of transport workers in battling British Union of Fascists leader Oswald Mosley and his Blackshirts in Britain and fighting fascism abroad in Spain.

The pamphlet also highlights how NUR general secretary John Marchbank took on Mosley in the courts and humiliated him.

In order to properly honour the legacy of those before us who bravely fought fascism, we must also confront the far right today, ensuring that we struggle for a society where basic democratic rights and freedoms are respected.

These battles cannot be separate from our industrial priorities and, while we continue to win at work, we must continue to stamp out fascism and racism wherever they rears their ugly head.

Eddie Dempsey will be speaking on July 4 at the annual commemoration at the International Brigade memorial, Jubilee Gardens, Belvedere Road, London SE1 7PG.