Author: Frank Thomas
Edited by Robert Stradling
Sutton Publishing, £ 16.99

This book is misnamed -- it should be "South Walian against South Walian" but that is not such a snappy title. It records the activities of two young men from South Wales who fought on opposite sides in the Spanish Civil War.

The book consists of three parts. The major part is the self penned account of Frank Thomas written after serving in the Spanish Foreign Legion from September 1936 until June 1937. The second is a fragmentary diary kept by Sidney Hamm from April 1937 until his death on 6 June in action with the British Battalion of the International Brigades at Brunete. The third part is the contribution of the editor Dr. Robert Stradling, a professional historian who has written books and articles on the War and who is preparing others, who provides a detailed introduction and notes to the two contemporary texts.

Frank Thomas provides a rare account of one of the few British volunteers for Franco. He wrote it on his immediate return from Spain largely to justify what was already an unpopular action. His reasons for joining Franco's side seem mixed. He had a safe if humdrum job as a salesman, but he was a twenty two year old who was looking for adventure. In 1936, the Spanish War that he saw in the cinema newsreels provided him with an opportunity. Furthermore, he was strongly anti-Bolshevik and right wing although his politics are not that clear, he had no connection with any political group.

He abandoned his job, set off for Spain and enlisted in the Foreign Legion about which he had romantic notions. After a day and a half of training, he was sent to the sixth Bandera to take part in the attack on Madrid. He fought in several battles around Madrid -- the University city, the Corunna road and Jarama where he opposed the British Battalion. During the defence of Toledo in May 1937, Thomas was wounded in the face and leg and sent to hospital for treatment. He decided to leave Spain. Again his motives were mixed. He had enough adventure and was clearly not going to survive much longer in a Legion that had lost its old character. Furthermore, he was offended by the strong anti-British sentiments of the Nationalists. He met some of O'Duffy's Irish Legion who were leaving Spain and with their help deserted and came back to South Wales.

His account of his experiences in Spain is clearly written and seems to be accurate with dates and places identified correctly with a notable appreciation of the military background. If he does gloss over some unsavoury aspects of the side he is fighting for, he does describe much of the brutal and savage aspects of the war which he seems to have taken in his stride.

Sidney Hamm followed a different path to his eventual fate in Spain. Younger than Thomas, Hamm was involved in left wing politics and while a student at Cardiff Technical College, joined the Communist Party. On 17 April 1937, he left Cardiff with twenty others to join the war in Spain -- one of the youngest to serve. His diary is a fragmented and cryptic affair and it is not always easy to make out exactly what he means. Indeed, Stradling's commentary and notes are very useful but occasionally I can not see the interpretation that he finds. For instance, he seems to think that the period of training that Hamm had from 29 April to 17 May when he left for the front constitutes "intensive training."

However, the diary does show that Hamm did not like his time in Spain. He was often ill and homesick and upset by the indiscipline and drunkenness around him. His letters home did not reflect these feelings. He applied for repatriation but after a brief leave in Madrid, went back into the line and was killed attacking the defences that Thomas had spent part of April preparing.

I found the book valuable and interesting. I would make two comments. One relatively trivial and one of more importance. The first is the great significance to both sides of community singing as entertainment and to raise morale -- and not just because the two writers were Welsh. The second relates to the philosophy that Dr. Stradling holds in relation to the War and history in general. The is the idea that -- put simply -- the historian should avoid value judgments about the people and events that are studied in order to bring about "ironic understanding between enemies."

Briefly, my view is that it is extremely difficult to achieve value free history and it is best to recognise this and bring it into the open to be judged as far as possible against the facts. Secondly that there are things that have to be commented on, e.g, the peculiarly nasty philosophy of Millan Astray and the Spanish Foreign Legion at this time.