Lila Norris
Spain Today: Film and Fiction
Professor Villa, The New School
Charles and Antoinette O’Flaherty
Personal Statement
I originally chose these papers because of my interest in female involvement in labor movements. Antoinette was an accomplished activist and organizer and her story fascinated me. However, after spending more time with the papers, I gained more of an interest in the brothers. Their early life in Irish Boston and how they were raised to become such interesting and dedicated organizers, protestors, and political activists caught my attention. I wanted to look into what type of person would choose to drop everything and join a band of amateur soldiers in a foreign land. Spending time with their writing and looking at their photos I felt an almost personal relationship with their stories, and got heartfelt and surprising answers to my questions.
THE O’FLAHERTY BROTHERS; FIGHTING FASCISM RUNS IN THE FAMILY
Of all those who chose to volunteer for the Abraham Lincoln Brigade and in many cases sacrificed their lives fighting in the Spanish Civil War, many resembled the same type of person. It takes a certain type of bravery to choose to fight fascism abroad as a part of an official and in many ways unsupported army. Those choosing to volunteer were entering an extremely disadvantaged fight. They were unprepared, undersupplied, and often untrained. Many of them risked their citizenship in America in order to travel to Spain, making a decision that the US government wouldn’t – that Americans would sit idly by as Franco’s Army, and fascism rose to the forefront.
The Abraham Lincoln Brigade was an army of volunteer American Soldiers who traveled to Spain during the Spanish Civil War. This group was choosing to fight fascism completely of volition, and many times for extremely personal reasons. During the Spanish Civil War, the United States chose not to send troops to fight against Franco’s Army, and many citizens chose to pick up the slack. The Brigade was made up of about 2,800 American volunteers which were a part of a larger international volunteer effort of 40,000 soldiers representing 52 countries. The Abraham Lincoln Brigade was also the first American war effort that combined soldiers of all races.
In a song about the Abraham Lincoln Brigade by John McCutcheon he says, “From the farms, from the cities, from every land came the Abe Lincoln Brigade. With a dream in their hearts and a gun in their hands; the Abraham Lincoln Brigade.” This is exactly what the O’Flaherty brother’s did. The O’Flaherty family represents an example of the exact type of person who would be interested in joining this type of campaign. The family sent three brothers to fight fascism in Spain, Charles, Frank, and Eduard. The O’Flaherty boys came from a family of Irish Immigrants who lived and worked in South Boston. Throughout the 19th Century Irish immigrants were no strangers to fighting for what was right. Children of survivors of the potato famine, many of them had socialist values and Irish immigrants eventually led many of the protests and strikes surrounding the draft for the American Civil War.
Before serving in the war, Charles was a part of the Marine Workers Industrial Union. In the 1930’s, he served as an early member of the organization that worked to bring together and unionize the shipping industry. This type of early socialist involvement is probably what led him to joining the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. Charles entered the fight against Spanish Fascism at age 27, according to his identification card, in late January of 1937; however, according to a biographical note, Charles left for Spain in 1936. It is possible that he spent the intermittent weeks training in France or that this incongruence in stories is due to a mistake in memory or folklore. On his international brigade identification card, Charles appears to be young but also stern. His facial expression is telling of someone who is prepared to risk his life to fight for what he believes in. Although fresh-faced; he appears both wise and brave.
After entering the war, Charles served as the leader of the Irish Brigade. However, he did not stay in the fight for long because in under a year he was badly injured at the Battle of Jarama. The Battle of Jarama was a brutal strategic battle by the Franco Army. After unsuccessfully attempting to seize Madrid, Franco and his army turned to Jarama, as it served as a connection between socialist and nationalist Spain. Franco sent 40,000 troops in order to block the connection, the battle was extremely consequential to the Anti-Fascists. The battle took place on what became known as Suicide Hill, and the international brigades suffered many injuries and casualties, including Charlie who’s arm and shoulder were extremely injured.
Within his file in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archive is his authorization for hospital visit. The authorization is a tattered and stained note written in sharp script and stamped with a red notarization that reads “Brigada International”. This hospital visit is ultimately what sent him home, “with a shattered arm supported by what is known among the walking wounded as an “airplane sling.”” After being sent home, however, he continued with his support for the fight as he and his brother Frank, who was also injured while serving at the Battle of Jarama, both toured around the nation raising money for the Friends of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade.
The youngest of the three brothers, Edward continued serving for the brigade a bit longer, and was a talented and detailed writer. Through his writing he shared stories of the conditions and experiences of the Spanish Civil War. Through his writings you can tell that Ed was extremely detailed, creative, tough, and even had a sense of humor in a dark time. In one page he details the lack of infrastructure for the soldiers, describing the difficulty of small tasks such as using the bathroom. “I only bring this up to emphasize what a mess we were in,” he says, “the other sections, I’m afraid, were in worse shape for they had no experienced men to lean on.” What Ed is describing was a major problem for the brigades. They were unsupported in many ways, financially being one of them but another huge issue was lack of experience. Many of the men were very undertrained – some never having held a gun before this.
Ed was also someone who was sensitive. The time of his writing also corresponds with his brother Frank’s death. He remarked, “I cried today, Joe, while writing to you. I cried for the men who died in Spain not knowing I was crying for my brother Frank being buried hundreds of miles away.” The trauma of the war probably continued to haunt the brothers for the remainder of their lives.
Although he does admit that the war time was extremely difficult, and that the conditions were unfavorable, he appears to still have a positive outlook on the brigade. “The amazing fact of the brigades was that they did, despite their comparatively small numbers, untrained, misled, still were able to play a major role in the defense of Madrid, and in the war. We lost, the Fascists and the Nazi’s won, but at least we tried.” The effort made was no small feat. The men who chose to fight in the Lincoln Brigade and other international brigades at that, were the ones who picked up the slack from nations, such as the United States Government who chose to take an anti interventionist stance, and in doing so allowed Fascism to fester. Those from the brigades made a brave choice that the governments refused: “They demonstrated by their acts of sacrifice that men of good will from throughout the world had not deserted the people of Spain.” The brigades were not just about giving reinforcement to the people of Spain, but it also served as an example of unity, a brotherhood of good fighting against Evil. “We were never intended as a major military force.” He says, “The international Brigades were to act as an example to the hard pressed people of Spain how much a dedicated Anti-Fascist could endure in defense of his principles.” Truly an interesting take on the Brigades that Ed has, however, it shows an example of what made him enter the war. He entered to show his support for others and to prove to the fascists and republicans alike that there were still citizens of the world who saw it as worthy to risk their lives to save the country and to end Franco. Ed says it best himself, in a final sentence which appears to have been redacted with a graphite pencil, maybe by Ed or by another, but remains completely legible, reads, “In the fight for justice for the disposed of this world with words is a fine and noble [cause].”
The O’Flaherty brothers were, like the others who joined the Brigades, a brave and honest bunch. Of humble beginnings and raised on socialist labor union values, the men grew up to fight for causes that they believed in. After the war Charles married Antoinette, who was a union rights worker and activist just like the brothers. She served as the president of her CIO Women’s League of New Jersey in 1950. Edward continued his fight against fascism and served as an auto mechanic in the fight against the Nazi’s during WWII. The brothers went on to have families and to have rich and fulfilling lives all while continuing their service through various unionizing, campaigning and even protesting the Vietnam war. The brothers were brave, they were leaders, they were people who continuously fought for what they believed was right, never tiring or wavering in their stance. They and the other members of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade were true heroes.
WORKS CITED
“Abraham Lincoln Brigade.” Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives, ABA, 2008.
Authorization of Hospital Visit, 1937; Charles and Annette O’Flaherty Papers; WAG 142; box 1; folder 1; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Identification Card, 1937; Charles and Annette O’Flaherty Papers; WAG 142; box 1; folder 2; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
“Marine Workers Industrial Union 510.” Industrial Workers of the World – A Union for All Workers, IWW, 2019.
O’Flaherty, Edward: Writings, undated; Charles and Annette O’Flaherty Papers; WAG 142; box 1; folder 6; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, 1984; Charles and Annette O’Flaherty Papers; WAG 142; box 1; folder 6; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives