Robert Andrew Doyle (12 February 1916 – 22 January 2009) was a communist

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

and soldier from Ireland. He was active in two armed conflicts; the Spanish Civil War as a member 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 ...

and the Second World War as a member of the British Empire's Merchant Navy.

Early life

Doyle was born in a North King Street tenement in Dublin, Ireland and became interested in politics during the 1930s. In 1933, he was part of an anti - communist mob that attacked Connolly House. He joined the Irish Republican Army (IRA) after losing his left eye in a brawl with Blueshirts. He quickly became more interested in social rather than Irish nationalist issues and in 1937 decided to volunteer for the

, motivated in part by the fact that his friend and IRA veteran

Kit Conway Kit may refer to: Places * Kitt, Indiana, US, formerly Kit * Kit, Iran, a village in Mazandaran Province * Kit Hill, Cornwall, England People * Kit (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Kit (surname) Animals * Young animals ...

had been killed in action in the Battle of Jarama on Doyle’s 21st birthday.

Service in Spain

He initially attempted to travel to Spain by

stowing away A stowaway or clandestine traveller is a person who secretly boards a vehicle, such as a ship, an aircraft, a train, cargo truck or bus. Sometimes, the purpose is to get from one place to another without paying for transportation. In other cas ...

aboard a boat bound for Valencia, where he was detained and expelled. He eventually returned by crossing the Pyrenees from France. After he returned to Spain, he reported to a battalion at Figueras. He was initially required to train new recruits because of his IRA experience, but disobeyed orders to get to the front.

Capture and release

After fighting at

Belchite Belchite is a municipality and town in the province of Zaragoza, Spain, about 40 km southeast of Zaragoza. It is the capital of Campo de Belchite ''comarca'' (administrative region) and is located in a plain surrounded by low hills, the highe ...

, he was captured at

Gandesa Gandesa () is the capital of the '' comarca'' of Terra Alta, in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. History In the place known as ''Coll del Moro'' there is an ancient Iberian archaeological site belonging to the Ilercavones tribe t ...

by the Italian fascist Corpo Truppe Volontarie in 1938, along with Irish International Brigade leader Frank Ryan. He was imprisoned for 11 months in San Pedro de Cardeña - a concentration camp near Burgos. There he was once brought out to be shot and he was regularly tortured by Spanish fascist guards and interrogated by the Gestapo before being released in a prisoner exchange.

World War II service

Doyle enlisted in the British merchant navy during World War II before settling in London with his Spanish wife, Lola. He became active in the

Fleet Street Fleet Street is a major street mostly in the City of London. It runs west to east from Temple Bar at the boundary with the City of Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the London Wall and the River Fleet from which the street was na ...

print trade unions. A regular visitor to Spain and Ireland for International Brigade commemorations, he published an account of his experiences in Spain in ''Brigadista: An Irishman’s Fight Against Fascism''. In an interview with '' The Irish Times'', he said: "I thought there was a danger that Ireland would go fascist and that was one of the motivating factors in making up my mind to go to Spain."

Family

Doyle and his wife Lola later gave birth to a son, noted film editor and special effects wizard Julian Doyle (filmmaker), who worked on such films as "

Monty Python and the Holy Grail ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' is a 1975 British comedy film satirizing the Arthurian legend, written and performed by the Monty Python comedy group (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin) an ...

" and " Time Bandits".

Death

Bob Doyle died at the age of 92 on 22 January 2009. His ashes were carried at the head of a funeral procession through the streets of Dublin. Large numbers of people, including members of the Irish Labour Party, the

Communist Party of Ireland The Communist Party of Ireland (CPI; ga, Páirtí Cumannach na hÉireann) is an all-Ireland Marxist–Leninist communist party, founded in 1933 and re-founded in 1970. It rarely contests elections and has never had electoral success. The part ...

and Sinn Féin, were in attendance. In early July 2019, a plaque was unveiled by his granddaughter on North King Street where he was born.

References

External links

Bob Doyle, Spanish Civil War veteran, dies aged 92
Irish Times *
Imperial War Museum Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doyle, Bob 1916 births 2009 deaths British Merchant Navy personnel of World War II International Brigades personnel Irish Republican Army (1922–1969) members Irish people of the Spanish Civil War Military personnel from Dublin (city) Spanish Civil War prisoners of war Irish Anti-Francoists