Live souls : citizens and volunteers of civil war Spain

"The book is a collection of photos and a memoir by Alec Wainman when he was a volunteer in Civil War Spain with the British Medical Unit (BMU). The memoir gives a detailed account of the war, and the photos show both the volunteers at work and the Republican people who participated or were simply there as witnesses. Serge Alternês has supplied an introduction, a timeline of the war, an afterword, and captions for the photos."-- Literary Nonfiction. History. Photography. "LIVE SOULS" presents 210 of the photos that Alec Wainman took in the middle of the Spanish Civil War, along with his personal story of his time as a volunteer member of the British Medical Unit. Until the present only small numbers of these photos have appeared in a few histories, where they have been valued for their insight into the troubled period. After much research by Serge Alterns, the entire corpus of the photos was discovered in excellent condition. In "LIVE SOULS," Alterns has selected the best of these photos and imparted valuable detail with his introduction, captions to the photos, a timeline, as well as an overview of the international implications of Spain's civil war from a contemporary perspective. Alec's photographs and story bring revolutionary history to life, offering a complement to what George Orwell described in "Homage to Catalonia" and what the volunteer medical teams achieved with Drs. Norman Bethune and Reginald Saxton. Alec's humanitarian ideal as an apolitical Quaker persuaded him to volunteer in August 1936 at the outbreak of the war to defend the ideals of liberty. His lens reflects his compassion for the citizens, volunteers and the civil war itself. The story and photographs keep the souls of the Spanish citizens and volunteers alive." Cover 1 Title Page 5 Copyright Page 6 Dedication 7 Acknowledgements 10 Contents 11 Preface 13 Historical Outline of the Spanish Civil War 16 Alec’s Story 21 CHAPTER 1 Why Defend Liberty? 23 CHAPTER 2 Travelling by Air, Foot and Train 36 CHAPTER 3 The Siege of Madrid 41 CHAPTER 4 A Safe Haven for Both Camps 45 CHAPTER 5 May Uprising, Barcelona 49 CHAPTER 6 Air Raids, Valencia 55 CHAPTER 7 Exiles: Citizens and Volunteers 57 Alec’s Photographs 59 Afterword 273 Appendices 283 Bibliography 309 Index 311 "The book is a collection of photos and a memoir by Alec Wainman when he was a volunteer in Civil War Spain with the British Medical Unit (BMU). The memoir gives a detailed account of the war, and the photos show both the volunteers at work and the Republican people who participated or were simply there as witnesses. Serege Alternês has supplied an introduction, a timeline of the war, an afterword, and captions for the photos."-- Provided by publisher