Mary Greening stands outside the house in Aberaman where her father, Edwin, lived. He fought at the Battle of the Ebro, in Catalonia

Tortured Fields

Photographing British involvement in the Spanish Civil War

Eighty years have passed since the bloody battles of the Spanish Civil War. It is a conflict that has largely faded from public consciousness, and even less well known today is the involvement of British volunteers. More than 2,300 Brits fought on the side of the Republicans to rid Spain of fascism, nearly a quarter of whom lost their lives, 33 of them Welsh.

For the past two years, I have been carrying out a photography project with the aim of raising awareness of the civil war and the part the British played. The work was originally for my degree, but it is continuing beyond my graduation and is being carried out using a large format film camera and a Nikon D800 digital camera.

Boadilla del Monte 2016 | Battle of Brunete 1937

Originally a university project, the work changed direction numerous times as I responded to the feedback of tutors and fellow students. The submission for my degree was a series of landscape studies in Spain that held significance for the British, most of whom fought with the XV International Brigade. But I have taken many portraits during the past two years and include some here.

Goyo Salcedo started scouring the Jarama battlefield with his father when he was a little boy. They wanted to find bullets to sell so they could have money to buy bread. He has unearthed so many finds from the red soil over his lifetime that he has created a museum in the nearby town of Morata de Tajuña. He is pictured in 2016

Asco, Catalonia 2016 | Battle of the Ebro 1938

Morata de Tajuña 2016 | Battle of Jarama 1937

Morata de Tajuña 2016 | Battle of Jarama 1937

From the Jarama soil

‘Suicide Hill’ 2016 | Battle of Jarama 1937

Historian David and tour guide Alex pictured in 2016 at a nationalist bunker in the Jarama battlefield

‘Suicide Hill’ 2016 | Battle of Jarama 1937

Olive farmers Jesus, Jose and Camilo pictured in 2016 on land where the XV International Brigade held off Franco’s forces in the Battle of Jarama in 1937

Villanueva de la Cañada 2016 | Battle of Brunete 1937

Villanueva de la Cañada 2016 | Battle of Brunete 1937

Hill 666, Sierra Pandols 2016 | Battle of the Ebro 1938

Sierra Pandols 2016 | Battle of the Ebro 1938

Sculptor Jesus is pictured in Corbera, Catalonia, against a landscape in which the British volunteers saw their final action of the civil war at the Battle of the Ebro. His work in the town is centred on peace and reconciliation

Boadilla del Monte 2016 | Battle of Brunete 1937

‘No Pasaran’, Tortosa, Catalonia 2016