Bill Alexander (British politician)

Bill Alexander
Birth nameWilliam Alexander
Born(1910-06-13)13 June 1910
Ringwood, Hampshire, England
Died11 July 2000(2000-07-11) (aged 90)
Allegiance Spanish Republic
 United Kingdom
 Soviet Union
Service / branch British Army
International Brigades
CommandsPolitical Commissar of the International Brigade's 15th Anti-Tank Battery
Commander of the British Battalion.
Captain within the Reconnaissance Corps
Battles / warsBattle of Cable Street
Battle of Brunete
Battle of Belchite (1937)
Battle of Teruel
World War II
AwardsCited for bravery (1937)
Awarded with Spanish citizenship for his support of the Spanish republicans (1996)
Alma materUniversity of Reading
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Spouse(s)Lena
Children2

William Alexander (13 June 1910 – 11 July 2000) was a leading activist within the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB), most known for commanding the British Battalion of the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War.[1][2] During World War II he underwent a commissioning course at Sandhurst military academy, graduating top of his year. He then served in Germany, Italy and Northern Africa, during which he was promoted to the rank of captain in the Reconnaissance Corps.[3] Later in life he became an author, the vice-chairman of the International Brigade Association, and the president of London's Marx Memorial Library. Alexander spent the remainder of his life promoting Marxism–Leninism, and was a member of the CPGB until the party was dissolved in 1991.

  1. ^ "Bill Alexander - British Battalion". international-brigades.org.uk. Archived from the original on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  2. ^ Meddick, Simon; Payne, Liz; Katz, Phil (2020). Red Lives: Communists and the Struggle for Socialism. UK: Manifesto Press Cooperative Limited. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-907464-45-4.
  3. ^ Meddick, Simon; Payne, Liz; Katz, Phil (2020). Red Lives: Communists and the Struggle for Socialism. UK: Manifesto Press Cooperative Limited. p. 2. ISBN 978-1-907464-45-4.