A BLUE PLAQUE is being unveiled today in the Rhondda Valley town of Tonypandy to commemorate one of its past heroes, communist and trade unionist Harry Dobson who ultimately sacrificed his life fighting against fascism out in Spain. 

The plaque has been placed on the wall of the Clwb Coffi (Coffee Club) cafe at 121 Dunraven Street which was the birthplace of Dobson in 1907.

Typical of his generation Dobson was a miner, a trade unionist and a member of the Communist Party, who was sent to study for a year in the Lenin School in Moscow, having been “blacklisted” since 1931 from working in the local coal mines, branded as a dangerous agitator by the authorities.

When the population of Tonypandy, thousands strong, turned out to drive Oswald Moseley’s British Union of Fascists from the town in June 1936, in what was dubbed “The Battle of De Winton Field,” Dobson was one of the protagonists and was jailed for his actions.

Legend has it that upon his release from Swansea prison, his first words were “how do I get to Spain?” and it was there that he eventually arrived to join the International Brigades in the war against Franco’s fascist forces.

Having been promoted to the ranks of battalion commissar and sergeant, Dobson was mortally wounded defending the hills around the town of Gandesa in the battle of the Ebro in the summer of 1938 and was buried in a mass grave nearby.

The blue plaque bearing Dobson’s name is the third reflecting the Rhondda Valley’s proud socialist traditions to be unveiled over the past two years.

A plaque commemorating the Battle of De Winton Field was placed on the wall of Tonypandy Library in June of this year, and one in honour of Annie Powell, former Communist Mayor of the Rhondda — who was also incidentally present at de Winton Field — was previously unveiled at the Penygraig Community Centre.

At a time when the radical collective spirit of places such as Tonypandy has been significantly eroded in the post-industrial, post Thatcher era, and when the threat of growing support for the populist far-right Reform UK, and even worse, for blatantly racist organisations such as the so-called Voice of Wales, is a very real one.

The unveiling of blue plaques around the Rhondda will at least remind the population of “how red was their valley.” In paying tribute to the heroes and the battles of the past, in raising an awareness among the younger generation, there must be hope of a meaningful future based on a revival of community spirit, trade unionism and socialism.

Guto Davies — Pontypridd branch secretary, Communist Party of Britain