660:
232:, and he died in battle. Although he had time to crawl out of the line of fire, he was never seen again. This prompted Copeman later to claim that Tapsell had survived the battle and been liquidated by "agents of Stalin" because he had his "teeth in something which was rotten and they weren't bloody well letting go". However, James K. Hopkins notes that there is no evidence to support this theory.
184:. His friend Harry Young was concerned that he was sent by the CPGB leadership because he was viewed as an opposition figure. He arrived in Spain on 1 March 1937, and enlisted with the British Battalion on 10 March. Initially, he was made Political Commissar of the British base at Albacete, and in this role, he was asked to investigate the
220:
In his role as commissar, Tapsell was generally well respected. Walter
Gregory claimed that he was "surely the greatest of all those who served as political commissars" and noted that he was the first to advance and last to retreat. When they returned to Spain, Copeman told Tapsell that he would
158:
and Robbie Robson, and the group enthusiastically embraced the new "Class
Against Class" line. However, each member of the group was associated with a failed project; in Tapsell's case, it was that he had performed poorly when organising the party's support of textile workers
207:
to ask for relief. Gálicz rejected the request, at which point
Tapsell declared that he was "not fit to command a troop of Brownies, let alone a People's Army". Gálicz had Tapsell arrested for insubordination and threatened with execution. Although battalion commander
216:
and George Aitken to explain the events. Cunningham and Aitken were prevented from returning, but
Tapsell went back to the front line later in the year, and in November, he was made Political Commissar of the whole British Battalion.
1206:
1191:
172:
newspaper. In his spare time, Tapsell was also a keen jazz drummer, and was interested in sports, sitting on the
National Committee of the British Workers' Sports Federation.
1140:
1201:
569:
1196:
1186:
1135:
1130:
166:
Tapsell was declared bankrupt in 1934, at which time he described his trades as "journalist", probably due to his role as circulation manager of the
705:
562:
136:
430:
1108:
129:
121:
379:
139:. However, he took only 245 votes, and was not elected. When the result was announced, he gave a speech complaining about the system of
741:
1072:
555:
710:
1052:
499:
383:
106:
102:
203:. With supplies and support limited, the battalion was reduced from 600 men to only 185. Tapsell led a delegation to General
125:
1119:
1077:
644:
996:
221:
not accept his political authority, and
Tapsell responded by picking up a rifle and focused on his role as a rifleman.
881:
700:
1062:
956:
871:
639:
1057:
966:
836:
491:
225:
151:
578:
193:
1098:
946:
861:
821:
816:
806:
684:
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1093:
981:
395:
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318:
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961:
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625:
605:
659:
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1047:
811:
1145:
1021:
786:
695:
160:
140:
117:, taking his wife Esther, and co-ordinated the passing of documents between Moscow and the CPGB.
98:
976:
597:
204:
679:
674:
531:
426:
323:
200:
181:
168:
86:
82:
547:
951:
936:
831:
746:
155:
146:
By 1929, Tapsell was the secretary of the YCL, and he had been noticed by the international
1103:
1026:
1011:
1006:
906:
876:
801:
766:
688:
213:
143:, which, he claimed, made it difficult for representatives of the working class to stand.
1001:
991:
891:
846:
132:
75:
212:
managed to get him released, after the battle, both were recalled to London alongside
1170:
941:
916:
796:
731:
1150:
1031:
986:
971:
866:
841:
791:
756:
736:
209:
110:
931:
921:
886:
851:
781:
761:
509:
349:
250:
901:
896:
856:
1155:
911:
229:
189:
147:
78:
228:, but shortly afterwards, the battalion was ambushed by Italian forces at
185:
114:
473:
Into the Heart of the Fire: The
British in the Spanish Civil War
460:
Into the Heart of the Fire: The
British in the Spanish Civil War
306:
International
Communism and the Communist International, 1919-43
268:
Into the Heart of the Fire: The
British in the Spanish Civil War
551:
105:(CPGB) at the age of sixteen, and also became prominent in the
1086:
1040:
724:
667:
590:
61:
53:
45:
37:
25:
18:
425:. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 319.
1207:International Brigades personnel killed in action
192:; he placed responsibility for the events on the
563:
8:
150:leadership as a promising talent, alongside
1192:British military personnel killed in action
81:activist, known as a leading figure in the
570:
556:
548:
480:
15:
1202:Young Communist League of Britain members
1197:Communist Party of Great Britain members
1187:British people of the Spanish Civil War
246:
244:
240:
74:(19 August 1904 – 31 March 1938) was a
367:Sport, Politics and the Working Class
7:
1109:International Brigade Memorial Trust
398:", XV International Brigade in Spain
180:Tapsell volunteered to serve in the
319:The Bankruptcy Acts, 1914 and 1926
14:
1053:Communist Party of Great Britain
658:
384:Socialist Party of Great Britain
103:Communist Party of Great Britain
199:Tapsell soon saw action at the
124:, Tapsell stood against future
1120:Songs of the Lincoln Battalion
1:
1073:Communist Party of Yugoslavia
640:José Antonio Valledor Álvarez
409:Party People, Communist Lives
711:Mackenzie–Papineau Battalion
304:Tim Rees and Andrew Thorpe,
701:Sixth of February Battalion
580:XV International Brigade –
530:Political Commissar of the
163:in West Yorkshire in 1930.
32:East End of London, England
1223:
1063:Communist Party of Ireland
126:Leader of the Labour Party
109:(YCL). He studied at the
1058:Communist Party of Canada
656:
538:
528:
522:
517:
506:
496:
488:
483:
72:Walter Thomas Leo Tapsell
20:Walter Thomas Leo Tapsell
484:Party political offices
282:, Vols.68-69, pp.20, 117
194:Communist Party of Spain
1099:Communist International
1078:Communist Party of Cuba
817:Carmelo Delgado Delgado
685:American Medical Bureau
447:Comrades and Commissars
421:Beevor, Antony (2006).
93:Early life and activism
1126:Viva la Quinta Brigada
1094:International Brigades
500:Young Communist League
224:Tapsell fought in the
107:Young Communist League
49:Lenin School in Moscow
982:Harry Wayland Randall
449:, pp.194-195, 203-204
380:Why I Joined the SPGB
280:Labour History Review
122:1929 general election
101:, Tapsell joined the
927:Paddy Roe McLaughlin
777:Christopher Caudwell
772:Edward A. Carter Jr.
716:Washington Battalion
626:Robert Hale Merriman
423:The Battle for Spain
407:John McIlroy et al,
1136:Yugoslav volunteers
1068:Republican Congress
1048:Communist Party USA
621:(Aug 1937–Mar 1938)
1146:Yugoslav Partisans
1022:Robert G. Thompson
752:James Walker Benét
696:Dimitrov Battalion
541:Robert Hunt Cooney
471:James K. Hopkins,
458:James K. Hopkins,
365:Stephen G. Jones,
291:Samantha L. Bird,
266:James K. Hopkins,
226:Battle of Belchite
99:East End of London
57:Communist activist
1164:
1163:
1131:Jewish volunteers
1041:Political parties
962:Michael O'Riordan
692:
680:Lincoln Battalion
675:British Battalion
651:
636:
630:
622:
616:
610:
602:
546:
545:
539:Succeeded by
532:British Battalion
518:Military offices
507:Succeeded by
498:Secretary of the
432:978-0-7538-2165-7
396:British Battalion
327:, 12 October 1934
324:Edinburgh Gazette
201:Battle of Brunete
182:Spanish Civil War
176:Spanish Civil War
87:Spanish Civil War
83:British Battalion
69:
68:
1214:
1141:Irish volunteers
937:Conlon Nancarrow
822:Charles Donnelly
747:Edward K. Barsky
682:
662:
649:
648:
634:
628:
620:
614:
608:
600:
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572:
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523:Preceded by
489:Preceded by
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336:Ian MacDougall,
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289:
283:
277:
271:
264:
258:
248:
156:Robin Page Arnot
16:
1222:
1221:
1217:
1216:
1215:
1213:
1212:
1211:
1167:
1166:
1165:
1160:
1104:Yankee Squadron
1082:
1036:
1027:Tom Wintringham
1012:Stephen Spender
1007:George Sossenko
907:Maurice Levitas
877:Robert Hilliard
872:William Herrick
802:Jock Cunningham
767:Herman Bottcher
720:
689:Connolly Column
663:
654:
642:
633:Vladimir Ćopić
619:Vladimir Ćopić
586:
582:Abraham Lincoln
579:
576:
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354:Keeping My Head
348:
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338:Voices from War
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278:
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255:Keeping My Head
249:
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214:Jock Cunningham
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33:
30:
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12:
11:
5:
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1019:
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1002:Alfred Sherman
999:
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992:Esmond Romilly
989:
984:
979:
974:
969:
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959:
954:
949:
944:
939:
934:
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919:
914:
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904:
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892:Robert Klonsky
889:
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742:Bill Alexander
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650:(May–Sep 1938)
637:
635:(Apr–May 1938)
631:
629:(Mar–Apr 1938)
623:
617:
615:(Jul–Aug 1937)
611:
609:(Feb–Jul 1937)
606:Vladimir Ćopić
603:
601:(Jan–Feb 1937)
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504:1929? – 1935?
495:
490:
486:
485:
478:
477:
464:
451:
445:Cecil D. Eby,
438:
431:
413:
400:
387:
378:Harry Young, "
371:
358:
342:
329:
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297:
284:
272:
259:
239:
237:
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177:
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133:Clement Attlee
130:Prime Minister
94:
91:
67:
66:
65:Esther Tapsell
63:
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50:
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29:19 August 1904
27:
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1114:Jarama Valley
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1018:
1017:Wally Tapsell
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1000:
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988:
985:
983:
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978:
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970:
968:
967:Thomas Patten
965:
963:
960:
958:
957:John O'Reilly
955:
953:
952:Paddy O'Daire
950:
948:
945:
943:
942:George Nathan
940:
938:
935:
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930:
928:
925:
923:
920:
918:
917:Matti Mattson
915:
913:
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905:
903:
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895:
893:
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888:
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883:
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873:
870:
868:
865:
863:
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858:
855:
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850:
848:
845:
843:
840:
838:
837:Frank Edwards
835:
833:
832:Petar Drapšin
830:
828:
825:
823:
820:
818:
815:
813:
812:Peko Dapčević
810:
808:
805:
803:
800:
798:
797:John Cornford
795:
793:
790:
788:
785:
783:
780:
778:
775:
773:
770:
768:
765:
763:
760:
758:
755:
753:
750:
748:
745:
743:
740:
738:
735:
733:
732:William Aalto
730:
729:
727:
723:
717:
714:
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709:
707:
704:
702:
699:
697:
694:
690:
686:
681:
678:
676:
673:
672:
670:
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661:
646:
641:
638:
632:
627:
624:
618:
613:Klaus Becker
612:
607:
604:
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596:
595:
593:
589:
585:
583:
573:
568:
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561:
559:
554:
553:
550:
534:
533:
521:
516:
511:
502:
501:
493:
487:
482:
475:, pp.288, 422
474:
468:
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448:
442:
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434:
428:
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410:
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100:
92:
90:
88:
84:
80:
77:
73:
64:
60:
56:
52:
48:
44:
41:31 March 1938
40:
36:
28:
24:
17:
1151:Atomic spies
1118:
1032:Milton Wolff
1016:
987:Patrick Read
977:Koča Popović
972:Will Paynter
947:Steve Nelson
867:Jason Gurney
842:Leo Eloesser
792:Fred Copeman
787:Morris Cohen
757:Alvah Bessie
737:Bernard Ades
706:24 Battalion
598:János Gálicz
581:
536:1937 – 1938
529:
525:Harry Dobson
497:
492:William Rust
472:
467:
462:, pp.219-220
459:
454:
446:
441:
422:
416:
408:
403:
390:
374:
366:
361:
353:
345:
337:
332:
322:
313:
305:
300:
292:
287:
279:
275:
267:
262:
254:
223:
219:
210:Fred Copeman
205:János Gálicz
198:
179:
169:Daily Worker
167:
165:
152:William Rust
145:
119:
111:Lenin School
97:Born in the
96:
71:
70:
1182:1938 deaths
1177:1904 births
922:Alex McDade
887:Salaria Kea
862:David Guest
852:Hugh Garner
847:Moe Fishman
782:Lewis Clive
762:Delmer Berg
643: [
510:John Gollan
350:Harry Wicks
251:Harry Wicks
85:during the
1171:Categories
997:Frank Ryan
902:Laurie Lee
897:Oliver Law
882:Jack Jones
857:John Gates
807:Peter Daly
668:Battalions
591:Commanders
308:, pp.77-78
236:References
161:locked out
54:Occupation
1156:Smith Act
932:Kosta Nađ
912:Yank Levy
827:Bob Doyle
230:Calaceite
190:Barcelona
148:Comintern
137:Limehouse
79:communist
46:Education
186:May Days
141:deposits
1087:Related
683:(incl.
340:, p.357
295:, p.106
293:Stepney
257:, p.201
120:At the
76:British
725:People
687:&
429:
411:, p.97
369:, p.79
356:, p.39
270:, p.54
115:Moscow
62:Spouse
647:]
427:ISBN
128:and
38:Died
26:Born
382:",
188:in
135:in
113:in
1173::
645:es
352:,
321:,
253:,
243:^
196:.
154:,
89:.
691:)
571:e
564:t
557:v
512:?
435:.
394:"
317:"
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