Harry Dobson (International Brigades)

Harry Dobson (9 August 1907 – 29 July 1938) was a Welsh coal miner, trade unionist, and communist activist who became a prominent figure in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War. Born in Tonypandy in the South Wales Valleys, Dobson was radicalised by unemployment, poor working conditions, and the rise of fascism in 1930s Britain. He played a key role in the Battle of De Winton Field in 1936, a significant anti-fascist confrontation that marked the British Union of Fascists' final attempt to hold a rally in Wales. After serving six months in prison for his role in the confrontation, Dobson departed for Spain in 1937, surviving the torpedoing of the Ciudad de Barcelona before joining the British Battalion. He served with distinction as political commissar of the Major Attlee Company and was fatally wounded during the Battle of the Ebro, the longest and bloodiest battle of the Spanish Civil War, dying on 29 July 1938.