Bill Alexander (13 June 1910 – 11 July 2000), born as William Alexander, was a leading activist within the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPG ...

(CPGB), most known for commanding the

British Battalion The British Battalion (1936–1938; officially the Saklatvala Battalion) was the 16th battalion of the XV International Brigade, one of the mixed brigades of the International Brigades, during the Spanish Civil War. It comprised British and Do ...

of the

International Brigades The International Brigades ( es, Brigadas Internacionales) were military units set up by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The organization existed f ...

during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he underwent a commissioning course at

Sandhurst military academy The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town of ...

, graduating top of his year. He then served in Germany, Italy and Northern Africa, during which he was promoted to the rank of captain in the

Reconnaissance Corps The Reconnaissance Corps, or simply Recce Corps, was a corps of the British Army, formed during the World War II, Second World War whose units provided reconnaissance for infantry Division (military), divisions. It was formed from infantry brigad ...

. Later in life he became an author, the vice-chairman of the International Brigade Association, and the president of London's

Marx Memorial Library The Marx Memorial Library in London, United Kingdom is a library, archive, educational, and community outreach charity focused on Marxist and wider socialist bodies of work. England and Wales charity number: 270309. Its collection comprises over ...

. Alexander spent the remainder of his life promoting

Marxism–Leninism Marxism–Leninism is a communist ideology which was the main communist movement throughout the 20th century. Developed by the Bolsheviks, it was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, its satellite states in the Eastern Bloc, and various co ...

, and was a member of the

CPGB The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPGB ...

until the party was dissolved in 1991.

Early life

Alexander was the son of a carpenter, born into a large working-class family in the rural English town of Ringwood,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

. Influenced by both his mother's political beliefs and the British National Hunger March of 1932, Alexander joined the CPGB in 1932, studied chemistry at the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

and became an industrial chemist, although much of his time was spent promoting communism through the CPGB and working with trade unions. He was a prominent

anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...

activist and was present at the

Battle of Cable Street The Battle of Cable Street was a series of clashes that took place at several locations in the inner East End, most notably Cable Street, on Sunday 4 October 1936. It was a clash between the Metropolitan Police, sent to protect a march by mem ...

.Richard Baxell,
Bill Alexander
, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 14 July 2000Graham Stevenson,
Alexander Bill
, ''Compendium of Communist Biography''

Spanish Civil War

In spring of 1937, Alexander volunteered to join the

of the

to aid the Republican side in the

. Arriving in Spain, Alexander first saw combat during the

Battle of Brunete The Battle of Brunete (6–25 July 1937), fought west of Madrid, was a Republican attempt to alleviate the pressure exerted by the Nationalists on the capital and on the north during the Spanish Civil War. Although initially successful, the Rep ...

. After a fortnight of fighting, his battalion went from a strength of 300 to 42, with Alexander one of the survivors. He joined the 15th Brigade's Anti-Tank Battery, an elite unit armed with high-calibre Soviet anti-tank weaponry, and soon became the unit's political commissar, He received a citation for bravery at the Battle of Belchite in September 1937. Alexander eventually rose to the rank of commander of the

and led his troops into combat during the

Battle of Teruel The Battle of Teruel was fought in and around the city of Teruel during the Spanish Civil War between December 1937 and February 1938, during the worst Spanish winter in 20 years.Hugh Purcell, p. 95. The battle was one of the bloodiest actions of ...

. During this battle, he sustained serious bullet wounds to his chest and shoulder. Due to his injuries, he returned to the UK in June 1938.

World War II

Once Alexander had returned to Britain from Spain, he was made the CPGB's Merseyside Area secretary. He attempted to join the

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town of ...

early in

, initially being refused a place on account of his CPGB membership. However, his case was taken up by the Duchess of Atholl and he was eventually permitted to attend. In 1940 he accepted his commissioning course at Sandhurst, from which graduated as the top cadet of his year. During

, Alexander served the Allied forces in Africa and Europe. Despite communists such as himself suffering persistent discrimination within the British military, he rose to the rank of captain within the

.Bill Alexander
, ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'', 20 July 2000 After leaving the British Army, Alexander returned to working as a full-time activist for the CPGB.

Post-WWII and later life

Alexander stood in

Coventry East Coventry East was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Coventry in the West Midlands. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system. ...

at the

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which nuclear weapons have been used in combat. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. Januar ...

and 1951 general elections, but lost his deposit on both occasions. He was Midlands Area Secretary of the CPGB from 1947 to 1953, then Welsh Area Secretary until 1959, when he was made Assistant General Secretary of the party. In 1967, Alexander stood down from his CPGB post, and instead became a chemistry teacher at

Sydenham School Sydenham School (known as Sydenham Girls by locals) is a comprehensive girls' school located on Dartmouth Road ( A2216) in Sydenham, London. History The school was founded in 1917 as a girls' grammar school, known as Sydenham County Grammar Sch ...

, and taught chemistry in south-east London until his retirement. He was later involved with the

, holding its presidency from 1989 until 1996. He ran the International Brigade Association, and wrote extensively on the Spanish Civil War, publishing ''British Volunteers For Liberty'', ''No To Franco'' and contributing to ''Memorials Of The Spanish Civil War''. Alexander remained a member of the CPGB until the party's dissolution and was a prominent opponent of what he regarded as revisionism during the 1980s. During the 1990s, he spoke in favour of environmental causes.

Works

*''British Volunteers For Liberty.'' Lawrence and Wishart, UK, 1982 *''No To Franco: The Struggle Never Stopped 1939-1975.'' B. Alexander, 1992 *''Memorials Of The Spanish Civil War.'' Sutton, UK, 1996

References