Unveiled in 1998, this monument honours the British Columbians and Canadians who volunteered to help defend the Spanish Republic against fascist attack during the 1930s. These citizens served in or provided support to the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion of the International Brigades.
The monument's inscription is written on basalt stone extracted from an abandoned B.C. Rail quarry north of Squamish, and has three logos engraved on it: one depicting the dogwood, British Columbia's official flower; one depicting the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion logo; and one depicting the International Brigades logo. The Upper Rotunda has a plaque on it with the following inscription: "In memory of those British Columbians who served in the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion of the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939."
Did You Know?
In 1936, a civil war broke out between the fascist General Francisco Franco and the Republic of Spain. Franco was supported by the fascist regimes of Hitler and Mussolini, but volunteers from across the world formed International Brigades and came to the defence of the Spanish government. Nearly 1600 Canadian volunteers travelled to Spain and formed the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion, approximately 400 of whom were from British Columbia. It is estimated that over 600 Canadians perished in the Spanish Civil War, and many of those who survived went on to fight for Canada in World War II.
