Tag Archives: Fifteenth International Brigade

On Tyranny in Manchester and Spain

Tens of thousands of international volunteers stood against the tyranny of fascism during the Spanish Civil War, Jim Higgins among them. Most volunteers had already acted against tyranny more than once. For Jim, the first time was at school in England when he was no older than thirteen. 

Jim had been orphaned during the Great War, and around the age of eight, after a short stay on a country estate with caring staff in an orphanage for eight boys, he was taken to the Ardwick Industrial School in Manchester. He studied there for several years before going on to a small secondary school in Bristol.

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The raised fist salute of the Republicans countered the flat-palmed salute of Franco's fascists.

“Fighting for Democracy: The True Story of Jim Higgins (1907-1982), A Canadian Activist in Spain’s Civil War” TBP August 2020

Jim Higgins defied Canadian law to fight for democracy in the Spanish Civil War. On return, he was branded a communist, hounded by the RCMP, and welcomed by Lincoln Battalion comrades when he sought refuge in New York.

“I was riveted. There are few workers’ memoirs as excellent…engaging, informative, and very well written.” James L. Turk, Centre for Free Expression, Ryerson University and Author, Free Speech in Fearful Times

“The fact that (Jim) was involved in secret ops makes this book particularly memorable…a key read for historians looking for new details of the Battle of the Ebro.” Jason Webster, Author, Violencia: A New History of Spain

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