Aid for Spain! meeting poster

Aid for Spain! meeting poster, 1937.

Poster produced to advertise a meeting raising awareness of the Civil War in London and seeking donations, organised by the North London Youth Foodship Committee.

The Youth Foodship Committee was created in 1936. It had both national and local committees. It was associated with a range of political groups, including the Labour Party League of Youth, the Young Communist League, the League of Nations Union Youth Groups, the University Labour Federation, the University Liberals, the Young Liberal Association and the Clarion Cycling Club. The Committee collected donations and arranged shipping for food to be delivered to the Spanish Republic during the Civil War.

Defence of Madrid was directed by Ivor Montagu. It was shot on the frontlines during the Republican resistance and rushed to Britain as anti-fascist propaganda.

The film is divided into three distinct sections: The Assault on a People, which documents the aerial bombardment of Madrid by Franco’s forces, including the devastating aftermath on the city and its civilians. The Defence of Liberty, which shows the citizen militias and the early formation of the People's Army constructing barricades and digging in for combat. The World Assists, which highlights the arrival of the volunteers in the International Brigades and foreign food supplies to sustain the city.