Walter Thomas Leo Tapsell (19 August 1904 – 31 March 1938) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

activist, known as a leading figure in 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 ...

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 ...

Early life and activism

Born in the

East End of London The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

, Tapsell joined 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) at the age of sixteen, and also became prominent in the

Young Communist League The Young Communist League (YCL) is the name used by the youth wing of various Communist parties around the world. The name YCL of XXX (name of country) originates from the precedent established by the Communist Youth International. Examples of YC ...

(YCL).

Harry Wicks Harry Wicks (16 August 1905 – 26 March 1989) was a British socialist activist. Born in Battersea, London, he went to work on the railways and joined the National Union of Railwaymen in 1919. He joined the Labour Party, but after Black Frid ...

, ''Keeping My Head'', p.201 He studied at the

Lenin School The International Lenin School (ILS) was an official training school operated in Moscow, Soviet Union, by the Communist International from May 1926 to 1938. It was resumed after the Second World War and run by the Communist Party of the Soviet Unio ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, taking his wife Esther, and co-ordinated the passing of documents between Moscow and the CPGB. At the 1929 general election, Tapsell stood against future Leader of the Labour Party and

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Clement Attlee Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, (3 January 18838 October 1967) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955. He was Deputy Prime Mini ...

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. However, he took only 245 votes, and was not elected. When the result was announced, he gave a speech complaining about the system of deposits, which, he claimed, made it difficult for representatives of the working class to stand. By 1929, Tapsell was the secretary of the YCL, and he had been noticed by the international

Comintern The Communist International (Comintern), also known as the Third International, was a Soviet Union, Soviet-controlled international organization founded in 1919 that advocated world communism. The Comintern resolved at its Second Congress to ...

leadership as a promising talent, alongside William Rust,

Robin Page Arnot Robert "Robin" Page Arnot (15 December 1890 – 18 May 1986), best known as R. Page Arnot, was a British Communist journalist and politician. Early years Robert Page Arnot, known to his friends as "Robin", was born in 1890 at Greenock, the s ...

and Robbie Robson, and the group enthusiastically embraced the new "Class Against Class" line. However, each member of the group was associated with a failed project; in Tapsell's case, it was that he had performed poorly when organising the party's support of textile workers

locked out Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

in West Yorkshire in 1930. Tapsell was declared bankrupt in 1934, at which time he described his trades as "journalist", probably due to his role as circulation manager of the ''

Daily Worker The ''Daily Worker'' was a newspaper published in New York City by the Communist Party USA, a formerly Comintern-affiliated organization. Publication began in 1924. While it generally reflected the prevailing views of the party, attempts were m ...

'' newspaper. In his spare time, Tapsell was also a keen jazz drummer, and was interested in sports, sitting on the National Committee of the British Workers' Sports Federation.

Spanish Civil War

Tapsell volunteered to serve in the

. His friend Harry Young was concerned that he was sent by the CPGB leadership because he was viewed as an opposition figure. He arrived in Spain on 1 March 1937, and enlisted with the British Battalion on 10 March. Initially, he was made Political Commissar of the British base at Albacete,British Battalion
, XV International Brigade in Spain and in this role, he was asked to investigate the

May Days The May Days, sometimes also called May Events, refer to a series of clashes between 3 and 8 May 1937 during which factions on the Republican faction of the Spanish Civil War engaged one another in street battles in various parts of Catalonia, ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

; he placed responsibility for the events on the

Communist Party of Spain The Communist Party of Spain ( es, Partido Comunista de España; PCE) is a Marxist-Leninist party that, since 1986, has been part of the United Left coalition, which is part of Unidas Podemos. It currently has two of its politicians serving as ...

. Tapsell soon saw action at 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 ...

. With supplies and support limited, the battalion was reduced from 600 men to only 185. Tapsell led a delegation to General

János Gálicz János Gálicz (1890–1939), better known as "General Gal", was a Hungarian and Soviet brigade and division commander during the Spanish Civil War. Biography Born in 1890 in the town of Tótkomlós in Austria-Hungary (now Békés county in Hu ...

to ask for relief. Gálicz rejected the request, at which point Tapsell declared that he was "not fit to command a troop of Brownies, let alone a People's Army". Gálicz had Tapsell arrested for insubordination and threatened with execution. Although battalion commander

Fred Copeman Frederick Bayes Copeman OBE (1907–1983) was an English volunteer in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War, commanding the British Battalion. He is also notable for contributing to London's air raid defences during the Second ...

managed to get him released, after the battle, both were recalled to London alongside Jock Cunningham and George Aitken to explain the events. Cunningham and Aitken were prevented from returning, but Tapsell went back to the front line later in the year, and in November, he was made Political Commissar of the whole British Battalion. In his role as commissar, Tapsell was generally well respected. Walter Gregory claimed that he was "surely the greatest of all those who served as political commissars" and noted that he was the first to advance and last to retreat. When they returned to Spain, Copeman told Tapsell that he would not accept his political authority, and Tapsell responded by picking up a rifle and focused on his role as a rifleman. Tapsell fought in the Battle of Belchite, but shortly afterwards, the battalion was ambushed by Italian forces at Calaceite, and he died in battle. Although he had time to crawl out of the line of fire, he was never seen again. This prompted Copeman later to claim that Tapsell had survived the battle and been liquidated by "agents of Stalin" because he had his "teeth in something which was rotten and they weren't bloody well letting go". However, James K. Hopkins notes that there is no evidence to support this theory.James K. Hopkins, ''Into the Heart of the Fire: The British in the Spanish Civil War'', pp.288, 422

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tapsell, Wally 1904 births 1938 deaths British people of the Spanish Civil War Communist Party of Great Britain members Young Communist League of Britain members Military personnel killed in the Spanish Civil War International Brigades personnel