Spanish Civil War

Auckland nurse Isobel Maguire volunteered her services to the Spanish Medical Aid Association; helping the Spanish government and the International Brigade against general Franco was her way of fighting the spread of fascism.

In this award-winning Spectrum documentary recorded in 1984, Tom Spiller recalls how his philosophy was moulded in the crucible of the Great Depression of the 30s. He was persecuted for his beliefs by a newly respectable Labour government elected in 1935. A year later Tom found his way to Spain, where he experienced the murderous horror of a war which turned out to be a rehearsal for the world-wide conflict soon to come.