Ron's rages are sincere and — according to his wife — healthily cathartic. But can these splenetic outbursts loosen the grip of capitalism at its most monstrous?
The Fighter Who Fell in Love – A Spanish Civil War Memoir
By James R Jump
The Clapton Press £9.99
THERE have been numerous books about the Spanish Civil War but Jimmy Jump’s memoir is unique in that it is based on his meticulously kept diaries at the time.
There is no retrospective re-evaluation, imagined heroics or dimly recalled events; his memoir has all the ingredients of a drama unfolding, told with humility and honesty.
Jump was a budding journalist and would-be poet, so writes with a keen eye coupled with deeply held convictions. His memoir is laced with humorous anecdotes, tragic and tear-jerking moments, giving the reader a detailed picture of what life on the ground was like for these courageous men and women who were prepared to sacrifice their lives for the principles of justice and democracy in the struggle against fascism.
MAXINE PEAKE says the warnings of the International Brigades ring true today
The Marx Memorial Library’s Spanish Collection remains a powerful tool for the working-class movement today, writes MML director MEIRIAN JUMP
TONY FOX reports from a commemoration of the legendary Battle of Jarama in which four Stockton-on-Tees volunteers fell
CJ ATKINS commemorates one of the most dramatic moments in working-class history


