DZ CHARLIE

Spanish Civil War 1936–1939

Lopera — battlefield and Jardín de los Poetas Ingleses (Cornford & Fox)

Battlefield

GuideSpanish Civil War 1936–1939
AreaAndalusia
TypeBattlefield
When27–29 Dec 1936
Time to allow1 h 30 min
LocationRight area — the exact spot is uncertain
GPS37.94500, -4.21500
Open the free field guideDirections (Google Maps)

The story

On Christmas Day 1936 Nationalist troops took Lopera during their 'olive offensive' towards Andújar. The Republic threw in the newly formed XIV International Brigade under General 'Walter' (Karol Świerczewski) — French, Belgian, British and Irish volunteers with little training, no telephones and scant artillery or air support. Their attacks on the hills around the town, including the Cerro del Calvario, were beaten off by requetés and Moroccan Regulares. The English-speaking No. 1 Company lost heavily: the poet John Cornford, 21, a great-grandson of Charles Darwin, and the novelist Ralph Fox were killed. The front then settled here until 1939, leaving machine-gun nests, trenches and bunkers. It was the Brigades' last action in Andalusia.

What you can see today

In town, the Jardín de los Poetas Ingleses with a monolith and a bronze relief of Cornford by Frank Casey (2019); outside, two concrete Nationalist machine-gun nests near the Arroyo Salado bridge (2.5 km out), traces of Republican trenches on the Cerro de las Esperillas and an anti-tank bunker at Valcargado.

Plan your visit

Ask at the town hall (lopera.es) for a map of the vestiges; the machine-gun nests are signed off the road near the Puente del Arroyo Salado. A re-enactment is held in late May some years.

Where sources disagree: Losses vary widely: about 800 Brigade casualties incl. 300 dead (Wikipedia) vs about 500 casualties (Junta). Of the British/Irish company, 78 of 145 are said to have been lost; the IBMT counts 13 British and Irish dead. Fox's death is dated 27 or 28 December.

Sources

Nearby sites

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The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939

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