Pub owner's campaign for memorial to Stockton Spanish Civil War volunteers

John Christie, who runs the Golden Smog and two other Stockton pubs, is backing a project to raise £6,500 for a memorial. More than £5,000 has been raised so far.

Mr Christie, who attended Stockton's Our Lady and St Bede School as a youngster, later served in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers for a number of years, supporting the British Army in various countries.

He said his history knowledge is reasonable but, until recently, he knew almost nothing about the Spanish Civil War. Similarly, he grew up knowing nothing about the Teesside men who fought as volunteers in Spain with the International Brigade from 1936-38 to defend the democratic Spanish government against a coup by General Francisco Franco.

Mr Christie said: "In the past, I only knew a few details about the Spanish Civil War. We were never taught about it at school. So I had no idea that men from Stockton and Thornaby fought in Spain. When I asked other Stockton people about it and they didn't know either. I thought that was a shame for the town.”

Tony Fox and John Christie outside The Golden Smog pub

Eight volunteers from Stockton and Thornaby joined the International Brigade. They were George Bright, William Carson, Wilfred Cowan, Otto Estensen, Myles Harding, Johnny Longstaff, Patrick Maroney and Bert Overton.

Before the Spanish Civil War, Bert Overton and Myles Harding had both served in the British Army. In later years, Johnny Longstaff served in the British Army and Wilfred Cowan joined the Canadian Army during the Second World War.

During the Spanish Civil War, other Teesside volunteers came from other towns including Middlesbrough, Eston, South Bank and Hartlepool. Overall, 22 men were sent from Teesside and eight lost their lives in Spain.

More than 2,500 men and women from Britain and Ireland volunteered as soldiers, nurses and in other roles, supported by others at home in Britain.

Mr Christie added: “Many people in the UK still don't know about local connections or how the Spanish Civil War led-up to the Second World War. We rightly hear a lot about the Second World War but hardly anything about the Spanish Civil War. So I started a crowd-funding campaign to raise money for a permanent memorial in Stockton. I want to create something that people cannot miss, to get people talking and asking questions."

Stockton International Brigade badges

He was inspired by songs performed by the award-winning Stockton folk music band The Young 'Uns, who coincidentally also went to Our Lady and St Bede's School. The Young 'Uns highlight the International Brigade with their 'Ballad of Johnny Longstaff' album and show, which has toured the UK. They are due to perform the songs again at Stockton's Arc arts centre on March 17 for a BBC Radio 3 recorded concert.

Mr Christie's Stockton memorial campaign is being supported by Tony Fox, a Billingham history teacher who has written a new book about the Stockton volunteers, titled I Sing Of My Comrades. His book is available at Drakes The Bookshop in Stockton, online or by mail order.

Both are members of the International Brigade Memorial Trust (IBMT), which raises awareness of the Spanish Civil War and looks after memorials to British and Irish volunteers.

Mr Christie set up the Golden Smog micro-pub in Stockton's Hambletonian Yard in 2014. The pub has a host of Teesside memorabilia inside and a large mural outside, featuring the International Brigade's red, yellow and purple flag. He said: "We get quite a few people coming to see the mural and taking photos. People ask about it, which is good." The colours were those of the democratic Spanish Republic.