Those of you who have "surfed" the Internet will doubtless know that there is a vast quantity of SCW-related stuff to be had for free. Those of you who are not yet connected are missing a great deal of fascinating stuff.

This is not the place to give a detailed description of the Internet or the Web, suffice it to say that with a computer, a modem and an Internet provider, you can access archives all over the world. On the Web, the number of pages relating to the SCW vary from day to day, but I've usually found there to be between 1500 and 2100 pages whenever I have logged on to the Internet. Those of you new to the Internet will find that you can search for your special interests using various "search engines" - I use "Excite", though there are several others. I connect to the Internet and the Web with "AOL" and also with "Compuserve", though I find "AOL" much faster than "Compuserve" for surfing the net.

I have just come off-line after looking through a list of SCW subjects - out of the 1,865 that "Excite" found for me, I managed to glance through about 420 references in 50 minutes (well, there was this voice from downstairs, saying, "Get off the God-damned phone line!").

Many of the references are for University courses, here and in the U.S.A., there are also links which will take you to archives of photos and documents. A good one is- http:/lburn.ucsd.edu/scwtable.htm - which is an archive of 25 SCW posters in colour, which you can download. There is also a brief history of the SCW. For those of you with good quality colour printers, you can down-load your own collection of A-size SCW posters to adorn your wargames room.

Another good page is http://www.fut.es/~msanroma/GUERRACIVIL/otroslinks.html - this may seem like a lot to type in, but it is well worth it, as it provides links to many Spanish Web pages, there's some nice stuff for you Anarchists out there, and you can go to the Anarchists' current Web page and find out what they are doing at the moment.

For the fans of the International Brigades, there are lots of links to veterans memoirs and general histories of the Brigades. One I would recommend is http://www.tezcat.com/ juanyen/ablinbrig.html - this is a fine site and there's lots to see there. There are also several references for Canadian veterans.

For those interested in the technical side, there are references for the Bf-109, the SM 81, Opel Blitz trucks, Italian tankettes, the CANT Z501 (this is a kit review) and much more.

On the naval side there is a reference for the memoirs of a Gennan U-boat commander who cruised off the coast of Spain in U-26, in 1937.

You can also find tour companies advertising coach trips to Spain, the words to SCW songs (one of which I have down-loaded and included with this article), SCW fans wanting contacts, school kids' projects, and even one reference which seems to list cocktails (though the Molotov Cocktail is the SCW one that springs to mind).

Literature and art are heavily featured, Emest Hemingway and Picasso get several links, and there are lots of mentions of films about the SCW, Land and Freedom getting the most mentions.

If you connect to the Internet with a reputable provider, and there are several to choose from, it will cost you around £ 5 to £ 15 a month, depending on the number of hours access you have included. Be sure, however, that you can use a local phone number to connect. Looking at my last phone bill. I was on-line for 58 minutes and it cost me 82 pence in phone charges, which is not bad. Those of you with phones connected to the optical cables being installed in every street (except mine) can cut costs even more, I am told.

On the whole, I would recommend connecting to the Internet to any serious student of the SCW, you will find it a rewarding and fascinating experience. Now, sing along with me:

Si me quieres escribir, ya sabes mi paradero,
Si me quieres escribir, ya sabes mi paradero,
En el frente de Gandesa primera linea de fuego.
En el frente de Gandesa primera linea de fuego.
Si tu quieres comer bien, barato y de buena forma. (2x)
En el frente de Gandesa, alli tienen una fonda. (2x)
En la entrada de la fonda, Hay un moro Mojama (2x)
Que te dice, "Pasa, pasa que quieres pate comer." (2x)
El primer plato que dan, son grenades rompedoras (2x)
El segundo de metralla pare recorder memorias (2x)

(or, for Anglos)

If you want to write me a letter, you already know my whereabouts.
I'm on the Gandesa Front, in the first line of the fighting.
If you want to eat your fill, good food and not too many pesos,
On that bloody battlefield stands an inn where you are welcome.
At the entrance of this inn there waits a Moor by name Mohammed,
Who warmly greets you, "Hurry, hurry, rare and spicy food awaits you."
The first dish which they serve is hot grenades in quick succession,
Followed by a burst of shrapnel, makes a meal you'll all remember."

Note: One of the best of the Spanish Civil War Songs RG Recorded by Seeger