Bill Alexander | |
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Birth name | William Alexander |
Born | Ringwood, Hampshire, England | 13 June 1910
Died | 11 July 2000 | (aged 90)
Allegiance | Spanish Republic United Kingdom Soviet Union |
Service | British Army International Brigades |
Commands | Political Commissar of the International Brigade's 15th Anti-Tank Battery Commander of the British Battalion. Captain within the Reconnaissance Corps |
Battles / wars | Battle of Cable Street Battle of Brunete Battle of Belchite (1937) Battle of Teruel World War II |
Awards | Cited for bravery (1937) Awarded with Spanish citizenship for his support of the Spanish republicans (1996) |
Alma mater | University of Reading Royal Military Academy Sandhurst |
Spouse(s) | Lena |
Children | 2 |
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.