Spanish anti-fascist prisoners of war in Lancashire, 194446

This article assesses the significance of the experiences of 226 Spanish anti-fascists and republicans who were detained in France in the autumn of 1944 and transported to Britain as prisoners of war (POWs) of the Allied army. After arriving in different batches at Southampton, they were interned in POW camps across the country before being moved to Hall o' the Hill Camp, near Chorley, Lancashire, where most remained until their final release in 1946. This article sets the peculiar circumstances of their detention in the context of the personal, local and international situation surrounding them and documents the multifaceted campaign for their release which was articulated by trade unions, political organizations, national newspapers and some prominent figures in British society. In doing so, a contribution is made to the history of the diaspora of the opposition to Franco and to the history of POWs in Britain in the period 194446.