John Edward Longstaff (1919-2000) was an English

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 soldier, who served with 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 ...

in Spain and later with the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

during the Second World War.

History

Born in

Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees, often simply referred to as Stockton, is a market town in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham, England. It is on the northern banks of the River Tees, part of the Teesside built-up area. The town had an estimated ...

in October 1919, his early life was marked by poverty. He recalled begging for bread from workers leaving the factories. He left school and worked in a foundry before being injured by hot metal, finding himself unemployed after recovery. At the age of 15 he joined the 1934

hunger march Hunger marches are a form of protest, social protest that arose in the United Kingdom during the early 20th century. Often the marches involved groups of men and women walking from areas with high unemployment, to London where they would protest ou ...

to London. Despite initially being refused due to his age, he followed the march at a distance for a few days before being taken in. On arrival in London he witnessed police attacks on the march at

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...

. He found work and was involved in an industrial dispute around the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

in Tooting, which led to his involvement in organised labour movement politics. He played a part in the Battle of Cable Street where he says he first heard the words ''

No Pasaran No (and variant writings) may refer to one of these articles: English language * ''Yes'' and ''no'' (responses) * A determiner in noun phrases Alphanumeric symbols * No (kana), a letter/syllable in Japanese script * No symbol, displayed � ...

'' and learned of the war in Spain. He enlisted in the 15th International Brigade and left for Spain in September 1937. He fought in the

Battle of Jarama The Battle of Jarama (6–27 February 1937) was an attempt by General Francisco Franco's Nationalists to dislodge the Republican lines along the river Jarama, just east of Madrid, during the Spanish Civil War. Elite Spanish Legionnaires and Moro ...

and the July 1938 crossing of the Ebro, attempting to recapture

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 that l ...

. He was with Lewis Clive when he died. On 24 August, while defending Hill 666 in the

Serra de Pàndols Serra de Pàndols is a limestone mountain chain located at the southern end of the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range, in Catalonia, Spain. There is a project to install wind turbines on the Serra de Pàndols and neighboring Serra de Cavalls which has m ...

near

under artillery bombardment and an attack by two rebel battalions, Longstaff was severely wounded and temporarily blinded. He returned to the UK soon before the outbreak of the Second World War. He enlisted, despite being rejected at first because of his experience in Spain, and fought in North Africa and Italy, including the Battle of El Alamein and

Monte Cassino Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley, Italy, west of Cassino and at an elevation of . Site of the Roman town of Casinum, it is widely known for its abbey, the first h ...

. He became a sergeant and was awarded for gallantry. He married Pauline in 1940, raised a family and worked as a civil servant after the war. Longstaff's wartime memories were recorded by the

Imperial War Museum Imperial War Museums (IWM) is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, the museum was intended to record the civil and military ...

in 1984 and 1988. He died in 2000. Longstaff came to public prominence in 2019 when his life inspired a musical theatre production, ''The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff'', by folk singers The Young'uns.

References

English anti-fascists British people of the Spanish Civil War International Brigades personnel {{activist-stub