"The Sons of Spain" the story of a British volunteer who fought in the Spanish Civil War



This is a documentary about Joseph Kahn, one of the few surviving British volunteers who fought in the Spanish Civil War.

Joseph was 18 when he volunteered to lead a convoy of ambulances from Camden Town to Madrid.

He arrived and went on to Albacete, where he joined the newly formed British Battalion.

In February 1937, the battalion fought at the Battle of Jarama. In a single day's bloody fighting on 12 February against Moors from Franco's Army of Africa, the British Battalion suffered 275 casualties - leaving 125 rifleman fit for duty.

On the second day of fighting, the machine gun company was surrounded by Fascists and many of its members were captured.

The battalion remained in the trenches at Jarama until 17 June 1937.

The film was the final project of a two week film-making course run by the Documentary Film-makers Group (DFG).