Frank Owen (International Brigades)

Frank Owen
Born	c. 1910-1915 Maerdy, Rhondda, Wales
Died	July 1937 Brunete, Spain
Cause of death	Killed in action during the Battle of Brunete
Allegiance	Spanish Republic
Branch	International Brigades
Unit	British Battalion
Battles / wars	Spanish Civil War Battle of Brunete

Frank Owen (c. 1910–1915 - July 1937) was a Welsh coal miner and communist activist from Maerdy who volunteered to fight with the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War. A resident of Pentre Road in Maerdy, Owen was killed in action during the Battle of Brunete in July 1937 whilst serving with the British Battalion of the XV International Brigade.

Frank Owen was born in Maerdy, a village in the Rhondda Fach Valley in South Wales.^[1] Maerdy became synonymous with working class syndicalism and solidarity in the mid-twentieth century and was associated with the Communist Party of Great Britain and radical miners' leaders such as Arthur Horner, earning it the nickname "Little Moscow".^[2]

Like many young men in the area, Owen worked as a coal miner and became involved in left-wing politics. He was a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain and lived on Pentre Road in Maerdy with his family.^[3]

When the Spanish Civil War erupted in July 1936, Owen was amongst the approximately 175-200 volunteers from Wales who enlisted in the International Brigades to fight Franco's forces.^[3] He volunteered to join the British Battalion, which was formally known as the Saklatvala Battalion but was commonly referred to by its more popular name.

Owen arrived in Spain and was assigned to the British Battalion, part of the XV International Brigade. Welsh miners made up one of the largest contingents within the British Battalion of the International Brigades, bringing with them a political tradition unique in Britain in its combination of trade union militancy, radical extra-parliamentary activity and internationalism.^[3] The British Battalion mustered 331 brigaders for the Battle of Brunete, having been reinforced by new recruits and strengthened by returnees from hospital following their devastating losses at the Battle of Jarama earlier in 1937.^[4]

In July 1937, Owen took part in the Battle of Brunete, a major Republican offensive designed to relieve pressure on the northern front and break through Nationalist lines west of Madrid.^[4] The British Battalion, now under the command of Fred Copeman, was thrown into battle as part of this major Republican offensive.

On 6 July, the British Battalion moved towards their objective, the heavily defended village of Villanueva de la Cañada, where they were pinned down by well-directed machine-gun fire and forced to take cover in temperatures of 40 degrees. The village was eventually captured at midnight, but the battalion faced continued fierce resistance as they advanced towards their major objective.^[4]

During the battle, Jack 'Russia' Roberts came across Frank Owen's body perched against a tree next to the riverbed whilst desperately searching for water himself.^[5] Owen was amongst the many Welsh volunteers who died during the brutal fighting at Brunete, where of the three hundred and thirty-one volunteers in the ranks of the British Battalion at the start of Brunete, only forty-two still remained.^[4]

The Battle of Brunete proved to be one of the costliest engagements for the International Brigades, with the British Battalion suffering devastating casualties in the intense fighting and extreme heat.

A memorial bridge was constructed near the Avon factory in Maerdy dedicated to Frank Owen's memory.^[6] The memorial plaque contains the International Brigades emblem and commemorates Owen's sacrifice during the Spanish Civil War.^[1]

The original plaque was damaged by target practice and was later replaced by a slate tablet on a granite plinth in 2009.^[1] The memorial was unveiled in 2000 by Lance Rogers and rededicated in August 2009.^[6]

Owen was one of the many Welsh miners who volunteered for the International Brigades, representing the strong tradition of internationalism and anti-fascist solidarity in the South Wales mining communities. His sacrifice is remembered as part of Wales's contribution to the fight against fascism during the Spanish Civil War.^[3]

• Battle of Brunete
• British Battalion
• International Brigades