In 1995 Ken Loach brought out the film 'Land and Freedom', which won great critical acclaim and brought the Spanish Civil War to the attention of a wide audience. The central character in the film, is a Liverpudlian called David, played by Ian Hart. There has been over the last year or so, some debate as to whether the character played by Ian Hart is based on a real person or not. Ken Loach has for many years been a personal friend of a Spanish Civil War veteran called Stafford Cottman. Cottman fought with Orwell in the POUM militia in Spain. Cottman advised Loach during the making of the film and is mentioned in the film credits.

When the film had its premiere in London, Cottman was too ill to attend, so Loach arranged a special premiere in a local cinema in Cottman's home city of Bath. I personally do believe the character of David in the film 'Land and Freedom' is roughly based on the experiences of Stafford Cottman in Spain.

I visited Stafford Cottman in Bath, during the summer of 1993 and taped his experiences of his time in Spain, for a book I was working on. Here below is a very brief account of his life, concentrating on his time in Spain.

Bio

Stafford Cottman was born in 1918 in Southampton. He lived his childhood in London and Bristol and his father was a captain of a Russian oil tanker. During his childhood he attended the Socialist Sunday School.

At right, picture of Stafford Cottman from the 'New Leader' (courtesy Independent Labour Publications).

In his teens, he joined both the YCL (Young Communist League) and the ILP (Independent Labour Party), 'Guild of Youth'. In 1933 he was chucked down the steps of Colston Hall, in Bristol by 'Blackshirts', when he was part of a demonstration against Mosley's Fascists.

The events in Abyssinia (Italian conquest) and hearing about Italian and German aid for Franco's rebels, led to Cottman volunteering to fight in Spain. Although only eighteen and with no military experience, he volunteered by writing both to the 'New Leader' (ILP newspaper) to join their force and to the 'Daily Worker' to join the International Brigade. The LP replied first and Cottman was interviewed by the future Labour MP, Bob Edwards. Socialist and anti-Fascist beliefs were more important than military experience at the interview, so Cottman was accepted as a member of the ILP contingent.

This force was going to fight in the militia of its Spanish sister party the POUM. In January 1937, the ILP contingent left London and reached Barcelona without any difficulties. Once in Barcelona they were taken to the headquarters of the POUM, which was the Hotel Falcon. From there they were sent to the Lenin Barracks where they were given two weeks rudimentary military training, which consisted almost entirely of marching up and down.

After the two weeks military training, the ILP men were issued with high laced black boots, corduroy breeches, poncho, khaki tunic and a nineteenth century Mauser rifle. They left for the front before they had even fired the rifle. Cottman served at the front near to Huesca and at Alcubierre, where they slept in caves. Cottman saw little action and remembers some Moroccans being killed in 'No Man's Land' and some young Spanish militia being shot in sporadic rifle exchanges. He mainly remembers, megaphone propaganda being the main element of war on his side.

Cottman was involved in the 'May Days' (armed clashes between the Anarchists and POUM on one side and the Communists and security forces on the other, a mini civil war within a civil war) in Barcelona. The ILP men were on leave and were told to report to the Hotel Falcon, where Cottman was given two home-made grenades as there were not enough rifles to go around.

Cottman commented 'that rifles were left at the front for your replacement, when you went on leave'. After the 'May Days', some of the ILP men returned to the front, others like Cottman did not, as they sensed trouble was around the corner. In June 1937, the POUM was outlawed and the British volunteers in the ILP unil had to leave Spain secretly. Cottman slept rough at night with George Orwell and during the day pretended to be a British business man in Barcelona. They escaped from Spain by train. At the border their papers were checked by the security forces and they were very lucky that the police did not realise the 29th Division on their papers was the POUM. Cottman after meeting Orwell in Spain, became a life-long friend of the famous writer.

On his return to England, Cottman was condemned by local Communists, he was called a 'Fascist' and a 'Trotskyite' and his house was watched and visitors were challenged by local Communists. He was also expelled from the YCL. When World War II began Cottman became a conscientious objector, but with the fall of France he joined the RAF as a rear gunner. The evidence I have briefly presented here is by no means conclusive, but overall I believe the character of David in 'Land and Freedom' is based on Stafford Cottman.

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