John Williams Hughes and the Spanish Civil War
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An International Civil War
There was something about the Spanish Civil War that sparked sympathy and compassion from the people of Wales. Inspired by both the socialist ideals of the Left and by their own humanitarian principles, the support given to the Spanish Republic during the War was extraordinary. Money and aid was raised across Wales and Britain and dozens of Welshmen travelled to Spain to join the International Brigades fighting against Franco’s Fascists.
One such man was John Williams Hughes from Marianglas, Anglesey. Born on 20 May 1906, Hughes became a writer and journalist, writing for papers such as the North Wales Observer, Y Goleuad, Tir Newydd, New Chronicle, Peace News and the Western Mail. Motivated by humanitarian reasons, Hughes travelled from his home in Anglesey to volunteer with the Welsh Ambulance Unit in Spain.
The Conflict
The Spanish Civil War is often overshadowed in the history of the period, sandwiched as it was between the First and Second World Wars. The conflict began with a challenge by right wing officers and Nationalists against the Republican Government in July 1936. From October 1936 the Nationalist rebels were led by General Francisco Franco and they opposed the libertarian values of the Republicans which they saw as threatening the power of the Catholic Church and the armed forces. They were also opposed to giving independence to the Basque and Catalan people.
The Republican Government had introduced a number of laws since coming to power in 1931 which promoted equality, democracy and the autonomy of the Basque and Catalan regions. They distanced the connection between the state and the church and sought to improve the conditions of the workers and peasants.
Welsh Support
The clash between the Republicans and the Nationalists reflected a wider divide in Europe at the time. Support for the two sides came from across the world as Communists and Fascists seized the opportunity to advance their causes. Others were drawn to the conflict for a combination of humanitarian, nationalist and libertarian reasons. From Wales, a total of 174 men were among the 2000 British subjects who fought for the Spanish Republic against Franco. Of these, 122 were miners from south Wales, the largest single group among the British volunteers.
Support in north Wales is usually considered to have been weaker than in south Wales. The miners of the south saw many similarities between the plight of the Republicans in Spain and their own situation and thus sought to support their cause by raising money and aid. Against a back-drop of hunger strikes and means testing, the demands of the Republicans for equality and freedom went far.
John Williams Hughes and the humanitarian effort
There was, however, considerable support in north Wales. John Williams Hughes was just one of a number who raised funds for the Spanish cause. He was joint Secretary of the North Wales Spanish Medical Aid Committee, helping to raise funds for a home in Old Colwyn for Basque refugees. Images and stories of the killing of innocent civilians, especially women and children were widely circulated and secured the sympathy of the world. In November 1936, forty children were killed when a bomb struck their school and in April 1937 the systematic bombing of Guernica, which was famously depicted in Pablo Picasso’s painting, resulted in thousands of casualties and refugees. It was tragedies like these that secured Welsh empathy for the plight of the Basque people in particular.
John Williams Hughes also helped raise money for two ambulances to go out to Spain before leading the Welsh Ambulance Unit, working in places such as Valencia and Madrid. He also sent broadcasts from Madrid, in English and Welsh, on the progress of the war, giving a pro-Republican account on the BBC talk show Heddiw.
On his return from Spain, he would raise awareness of the Spanish Civil War by speaking at meetings throughout north Wales and travelling Wales and the United States with an exhibition of material from Spain.