Ballad Of Johnny Longstaff

HarryVegas

HarryVegas

Well-known member
Don't know if anyone's seen the Young 'Uns show up at Northern Stage but caught the last one of the run tonight. Wonderful show about a real, unsung Teesside hero. If you're not familiar with Johnny's story, it's well worth reading up on his amazing life as a young man fighting in the Spanish Civil War. And I know there's more stuff coming up later this year in Stockton, on the British Battalion, of which he was part.
 
They are fantastic. I’ve watched them on you tube for years, but never seen them live. I must rectify that.
 
Johnny was 17 when he walked over the Pyrennes in rope sandals to fight for the democratically elected Spanish Second Republic. After a few weeks basic training he was sent to a valley 17 miles SW of Madrid to stop the Spanish Army taking the City. The equipment that had was very poor, for example they machine guns would not work because the ammunition was the wrong size for the guns. It was men against boys, in a few days over 60% of the British volunteers were dead, Johnny survived and the Spanish Army was somehow stopped by men and women throwing themselves at the enemy. Johnny fought there for nearly 2 years and came back to UK to face possible prosecution for going against the wishes of the British Government. In later years he spent his middle and older ages living a quiet life in Cleveland Close, Ormesby. He always believed he had done the right thing, because even though he failed to stop the Spanish military taking over (for the next 40 years in Spain) by making a stand the Spanish people and some international friends had stood up to military fascism and gave a brave example to the rest of the World that it was possible to resist.

Take a hankie if you go to the show its full of passion, compassion, humour and at the end sadness and hope. If you can't go the Young Uns are selling a CD, but the show has more of his story in it. I believe the Young Uns have upgraded the show too since I saw it at the Boro Town Hall. Unfortunately the Virus maybe winning the entertainment war at present, so it might be a while for live shows!

To give you a flavour here is one of my fav songs from the show.

 
Cheers for that Redwurzel. Johnny was a hero alright, but I never knew till now he lived over the road from me. I grew up in Hall Close, just on the other side of Ormesby Bank. Been asked to write some stuff about him for later this year, so it's all useful. Cheers.
 
Great tale Redwurzel.

We have some history here in my province. I read a couple of books about it in the last couple of years. With people walking from Málaga to Almería when Málaga fell. There were miles of underground tunnels built in the city of Almería. For people to avoid the Luftwaffe bombings. As Hitler used Spain as practice for WW2. I organised a really interesting visit to the tunnels a while ago. We took our own translators to help tell people about what happened.
 
spanishman said:
Great tale Redwurzel.

We have some history here in my province. I read a couple of books about it in the last couple of years. With people walking from Málaga to Almería when Málaga fell. There were miles of underground tunnels built in the city of Almería. For people to avoid the Luftwaffe bombings. As Hitler used Spain as practice for WW2. I organised a really interesting visit to the tunnels a while ago. We took our own translators to help tell people about what happened.
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On a jollier note. On the same visit a load of people got their photo taken with a statue of John Lennon. It is displayed a couple of minutes away from the entrance to the guided tour of the tunnels. As Strawberry Fields Forever was written while the Beatles were staying in the province of Almería.

https://www.almerimartoday.com/index.php/en/events/2618-john-lennon-and-the-refugios-in-almeria-9-april-2019
 
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I've seen it three times and cried my eyes out every time (although not unusual for me at gigs/shows).
It's amazing how many people know either nothing or very little about the Spanish civil was and also about local hero's that volunteered to go over there to fight against fascism.
We were (well still are, but Covid and that) raising funds to install a permanent memorial to the volunteers from Stockton, ended up finding 8 after a lot of tooing and froing with historians etc.

George Bright - Thornaby
William Henry Carson - Stockton
Wilfred Cowan - Stockton
Otto Estensen - Thornaby
Joseph Myles Harding - Thornaby
John Eddy Longstaff - Stockton
Patrick Joseph Maroney - Stockton
Bert Overton - Stockton


Oh, and sorry but here's the link for the Crowdfunder page.
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/stocktonbrigaders
 
Johnaldinho said:
I've seen it three times and cried my eyes out every time (although not unusual for me at gigs/shows).
It's amazing how many people know either nothing or very little about the Spanish civil was and also about local hero's that volunteered to go over there to fight against fascism.
We were (well still are, but Covid and that) raising funds to install a permanent memorial to the volunteers from Stockton, ended up finding 8 after a lot of tooing and froing with historians etc.

George Bright - Thornaby
William Henry Carson - Stockton
Wilfred Cowan - Stockton
Otto Estensen - Thornaby
Joseph Myles Harding - Thornaby
John Eddy Longstaff - Stockton
Patrick Joseph Maroney - Stockton
Bert Overton - Stockton


Oh, and sorry but here's the link for the Crowdfunder page.
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/stocktonbrigaders
Click to expand...
Just tried donating and it would not work on my laptop. Tried both Firefox and Chrome. Will try from my phone later.

Updated: Same problem from my mobile.
 
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There was definitely a problem at our end...that we seem to have sorted (might explain why it went quiet recently, although in the current climate we haven't really pushed it as much as we did previously)
 
Spanishman -

The tunnels sound very interesting and well done on organising the trip - Almeria was packed with around 97000 refuges in the spring of 1937 they were an easy target for the German Airforce (who had signed on non intervention pact!) and had the skies to themselves. 80 years for the monument to be erected, does that say about feelings in Spain?

One day I want to get over to Spain, if I had the time in 2004 I would have come over when Boro were playing Villareal. They only time I have been was in the Franco days that was to Galicia and I was a bit young to take a lot in. The 15th International Brigade (British and Irish volunteers) mainly fought around Madrid, Aragon and along the Ebro

Paul Preston in his book "Spanish Holocaust" thinks 3401 people were tried in seven weeks in Malaga during March/April 1937 by what was called the Army of Occupation (Nationalists), of which 1574 were executed. PP spent 10 years researching his book speaking to hundreds of local historians around Spain so he has done a lot to get his facts correct.

He also wrote that around 100,000 civilians walked from Malaga to Almeria to avoid capture, many carrying their life possessions. They were attacked by sea, air and the ground by Spanish Nationalists and Italian solders as they trundled along the coast road. Lawrence Fernsworth of the Times witnessed the appalling sight he thought 3,000 of these civilians died on the march. (Pages 176-178).

After reading what the Nazis to the Jews I thought I read the worst European Atrocities in modern times, then I read Preston's book where people did awful atrocities to their neighbours and even own family members, just because they had a different political and social belief. It happened on both sides, but more on one side and without any retribution in the case of Nationalist atrocities. It must have been extremely difficult to live for say over 60 years next to people who were responsible for killing your relatives.
 
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I saw it at Cecil Sharp House (a centre of British folk music) and loved it. It then popped up on my phone as perfect accompniment to a walk around a Spanish village destroyed in the Civil War, and now maintained as a monument, above the Ebro Delta. Deeply moving. There were tears in the sun.
 
Redwurzel said:
Spanishman -

The tunnels sound very interesting and well done on organising the trip - Almeria was packed with around 97000 refuges in the spring of 1937 they were an easy target for the German Airforce (who had signed on non intervention pact!) and had the skies to themselves. 80 years for the monument to be erected, does that say about feelings in Spain?

One day I want to get over to Spain, if I had the time in 2004 I would have come over when Boro were playing Villareal. They only time I have been was in the Franco days that was to Galicia and I was a bit young to take a lot in. The 15th International Brigade (British and Irish volunteers) mainly fought around Madrid, Aragon and along the Ebro

Paul Preston in his book "Spanish Holocaust" thinks 3401 people were tried in seven weeks in Malaga during March/April 1937 by what was called the Army of Occupation (Nationalists), of which 1574 were executed. PP spent 10 years researching his book speaking to hundreds of local historians around Spain so he has done a lot to get his facts correct.

He also wrote that around 100,000 civilians walked from Malaga to Almeria to avoid capture, many carrying their life possessions. They were attacked by sea, air and the ground by Spanish Nationalists and Italian solders as they trundled along the coast road. Lawrence Fernsworth of the Times witnessed the appalling sight he thought 3,000 of these civilians died on the march. (Pages 176-178).

After reading what the Nazis to the Jews I thought I read the worst European Atrocities in modern times, then I read Preston's book where people did awful atrocities to their neighbours and even own family members, just because they had a different political and social belief. It happened on both sides, but more on one side and without any retribution in the case of Nationalist atrocities. It must have been extremely difficult to live for say over 60 years next to people who were responsible for killing your relatives.
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Ta for that. One of the books I read was about a journalist who had travelled the country reporting on stuff. My neighbour here that lives in Ireland loaned it to me. As you say some of the things that happened were horrible.

I do not like saying too much about the tunnels as it spoils the visit for people. What I will say is that they follow the path of the bigger streets in the city. With many ways in and out. With the walls and ceiling built with concrete. So people could go underground quickly. Also, only a small percentage have been repaired and reopened. There is one entrance and one exit for the tour. However for fire safety reasons there are a number of other ways out along the way available just in case.
 
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