Spanish Civil War Memorial, Clyde Street.

Category: Public Sculpture

From 1936 onwards, nearly 60,000 British, French, Belgian and Czech citizens, as well as rebel Germans and Italians, joined the International Brigade. This was a force of fighters from who wished to stop the spread of Fascism, even at the risk of their lives. Among the British citizens who fought in Spain were a number of Scottish volunteers, who are remembered here for their bravery. The memorial shows a woman defiantly raising her arms and calling out. The shape of her body is like an "X", which is reminiscent of the Scottish flag of St Andrew. She is a very stark and powerful figure. Such an emotional statue does not need lots of close detail to the face or the clothing. The artist who made this fibreglass figure, Arthur Dooley, wanted to communicate strong emotions rather than details about who the person is or what she wore. Below the figure is an inscription cast into the plinth: "It is better to die on your feet than to live forever on your knees". This shows just how dedicated the fighters were to the struggle for freedom. The memorial was erected in 1979.