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85th Anniversary – Sinking of the Ciudad de Barcelona

May 28, 2022
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85th Anniversary – Sinking of the Ciudad de Barcelona

On May 30, 1937, the Republican freighter Ciudad de Barcelona was hit by a torpedo fired by a lurking Nationalist submarine.  The torpedo tore a gaping hole in the ship and it rapidly sank. A Republican seaplane drove the submarine away with a depth charge attack, then landed and began rescuing men in the...
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Photographs by Dr. Irving Busch

April 2, 2022
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Photographs by Dr. Irving Busch

Dr. Irving Busch (1896-1960), a graduate of Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, volunteered to serve in Spain with the American Medical Bureau.  In Spain, he served with the Republican Medical Services. Both before and after Spain Busch was an amateur photographer and he carried his camera along with him. After his death...
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Letters From Spain: Sidney Hotchkiss Lorraine

December 24, 2021
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Letters From Spain: Sidney Hotchkiss Lorraine

The picture of a young man in a jaunty hat and a big smile stared out of the 1978 issue of The Volunteer. The photo was accompanied by a request for information about Sidney Lorraine who died in Spain during the course of The Retreats.  There is no evidence of any replies. Sidney Hotchkiss...
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Veterans Day

November 10, 2021
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Many American veterans went on to serve in WWII and Korea.  This list is a work in progress. Those marked with an “*” were killed during the war. Office of Strategic Services Aalto, William Oliver WWII US Army, joined December 1941 served as 1st SGT transfer to OSS April 12, 1942; Dismissed after he...
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Eddie O’Neill (1915-2021)

August 9, 2021
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Eddie O’Neill (1915-2021)

Eddie O’Neill was born in the same County Tyrone neighborhood as the poet Charlie Donnelly (1914-1937), who was killed in action at Jarama while serving as a platoon leader with the James Connolly Section of the Abraham Lincoln Battalion. Inspired by the sacrifice of his fellow countryman and fellow Irish Socialist Republican, Eddie set...
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Kings and Pawns: Playing Chess in a Fascist Concentration Camp 83 Years Ago

August 1, 2021
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Kings and Pawns: Playing Chess in a Fascist Concentration Camp 83 Years Ago

“A prominent competitive player in the United States gave a series of lectures and played over famous games from the past. To hear him talking—in our squalid surroundings—with such knowledge about a game once played by Napoleon on the island of St. Helena, was an uplifting and inspiring experience.” In his memoir To...
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Update – The Passport Project

July 15, 2021
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Update – The Passport Project

With the submission of the August batch freedom of information act (FOIA) requests ALBA will have filed for over 1,000 passport records of American volunteers. Due to the ongoing pandemic responses to the submissions have been minimal. However, we did receive three responses this week. This is only the second batch received in the...
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2021 Memorial Day Tribute to the Abraham Lincoln Brigade

July 2, 2021
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2021 Memorial Day Tribute to the Abraham Lincoln Brigade

  A short video of the graves visited in 2021.       Memorial Day is the day traditionally set aside to remember Americans who served in the military. And, yet, Americans who went to Spain to fight fascism are rarely, if ever, included in the remembrances on this day. The Lincoln Battalion Memorial...
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ALBA’s Spring/Summer SCW Non-Fiction Reading List by Chris Brooks and Lisa Clemmer

June 1, 2021
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ALBA’s Spring/Summer SCW Non-Fiction Reading List by Chris Brooks and Lisa Clemmer

Few things can improve the pleasure of longer days and warm weather the way a good book does. Whether soaking up the sun or chilling in the A/C, pick up one, or all five, of these non-fiction works that center on or have a connection to the Spanish Civil War.   Dr. Ariel May...
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Memorial Day Tributes to Stanley Emil Blaskiewicz and Aubrey Kirby Kelley

May 28, 2021
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Memorial Day Tributes to Stanley Emil Blaskiewicz and  Aubrey Kirby Kelley

Beatriz Gomez-Acuna visited the grave of Canadian-American Stanley Emil Blaskiewicz (who post-war changed his name to Blake) in Chicago. Joe Roth visited Aubrey Kirby Kelley’s grave in Ryan, Texas and placed a Republican flag. Thank you both for taking the time to honor these American Volunteers. For those who may be interested in participating...
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