Records revealing the full extent of British involvement in the Spanish Civil War have been put online by The National Archives to mark the 75th anniversary of the outbreak of the war. They show that more volunteers than previously thought may have left Britain with the aim of joining the International Brigades fighting in Spain.
Despite the British government's official policy of non-intervention, thousands of men and women were inspired by their political beliefs to defend the Second Spanish Republic against a military uprising. The Security Service (KV) files, which are available online today, list the names of more than 4,000 volunteers who left Britain on the way to the frontline in Spain as well as a roll of honour of those killed in action. They were among the first of their generation to take up arms in the fight against Fascism