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Churchill's Spaniards: how veterans of the Spanish Civil War fought for Britain
Churchill’s Spaniards: The Spanish Republicans Who Fought for Britain in WWII — with Sean F. Scullion
In this episode, I speak with historian Sean F. Scullion, author of Churchill’s Spaniards, about a remarkable and little-known story: the Spanish Republicans who escaped the fall of the Second Republic, endured internment under Vichy France, and later volunteered to fight in the British Army against fascism from 1940 to 1945. Drawing on multi-lingual archival work and over 110 family interviews, Scullion reconstructs the routes these veterans took—from the French Foreign Legion and North African labour camps to the Pioneer Corps, Commandos, SOE, and even the SAS—and explores why many kept fighting despite exile, wounds, and the bitter knowledge that Franco would survive the war.
Scullion also discusses his research method (triangulating sources across British, French, and Spanish archives), the challenge of language barriers inside British units, the post-war lives of these men in Britain (including the Spanish Ex-Servicemen’s Association and links with trade unions), and the complicated geopolitics surrounding Churchill’s efforts to keep Spain out of the war.
What we cover
- Who were “Churchill’s Spaniards”? From Republican veterans to exiles who re-entered the fight under British command.
- Two waves of enlistment: 1940 (after service with French forces) and 1942–44 (after release from Vichy internment in North Africa).
- Across the theatres: Norway, North Africa, Italy, Greece, the Mediterranean, Western Europe— as far as Burma.
- Units and roles: From enlistment via the Pioneer Corps to transfers into infantry, Commandos, SOE, and the SAS (with c. 15 Spaniards serving in the SAS).
- Motivation and ideology: Anti-fascist commitment, complex politics (including anarchist backgrounds), and hopes—ultimately disappointed—that the Allies would remove Franco.
- After 1945: Settlement in Britain, union activism, campaigning against Franco’s regime, and the memory-work of families today.
About today's guest
Sean F. Scullion is a historian and serving British Army officer. A bilingual Spanish–English (and fluent French) researcher, he has spent nine years tracing this diaspora of Republican veterans and their wartime service under British command, combining multilingual archival research with a large and growing network of families across Britain, Spain, and France.
Recommended reading
- Sean F. Scullion, Churchill’s Spaniards (paperback edition available now; check independent booksellers or buy direct from the publisher).
- Background on the Spanish Republicans in exile, Vichy internment in North Africa, and the Pioneer Corps in WWII.
Credits
Host: Nick Shepley • Explaining History Podcast
Guest: Sean F. Scullion
Production: Explaining History
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Published on 1 month, 1 week ago