Scots veterans, Glasgow 1986: left. Eddie Brown, Phil Gillan, George Murray, George Drever, Steve Fullarton.

Annie Murray was born in Aberdeenshire in 1906 but spent her girlhood in Perthshire before moving to Edinburgh. Her two brothers, Tom and George, also fought in Spain with the International Brigades.

George Drever was born in 1910, the eldest in a family of eleven children. His father, who was often unemployed, was a shipyard labourer in Leith. Despite his early life of hardship and poverty George Drever went from school to Edinburgh University where he studied chemistry and gained two degrees. After returning from the Spanish Civil War he eventually found employment as a metallurgist in Sheffield. 

Annie Murray volunteered to work in Spain through the British Medical Aid Association. She was photographed in 1986 by Sean Hudson in a series he named ‘Voices From Spain’. This photo series was a companion piece to ‘Voices from the Spanish Civil War’ a publication by Ian MacDougall, which tells the verbatim accounts of Scottish International Brigaders. These are the real words of Annie Murray performed by an actor. 

Donald Renton was a well known Labour leader in Edinburgh throughout his life and town councillor  from 1962 until his death in 1977. In World War II, he served in the Royal Artillery, taking part in the anti-aircraft defence of London and other cities during the Blitz. In Spain he was Political Commissar of Harold Fry’s machine-gun company before being taken prisoner at Jarama in February 1937. He was repatriated three months later. This interview is an extract from  ‘Voices from the Spanish Civil War’ a publication by Ian MacDougall, which tells the verbatim accounts of Scottish members of the International Brigades. These are the real words of Donald performed by an actor.