ON October 28 1938, as 300,000 Spaniards crowded the streets of Barcelona to bid farewell to the International Brigade, Major Sam Wild watched from a balcony as George Fletcher led the English-speaking XV Brigade in the farewell parade.

The 57th (British) Battalion marched at the front, followed by the 58th (Lincoln) Battalion, the 59th (Spanish) Battalion and then the 60th (Mackenzie-Papineau) Battalion took up the rear as they were the last battalion to be formed.

The men marched on a carpet of flowers under a shower of paper strips, and women rushed from the crowds lining the route to hug and kiss the marching men. Dolores Ibarruri (La Pasionaria) addressed the International Brigade volunteers, saying: “We shall not forget you; and, when the olive tree of peace is in flower, entwined with the victory laurels of the Republic of Spain — return!”

Of the 30 Teesside-born International Brigade volunteers, nine lost their lives in Spain. On the anniversary of the farewell parade, we commemorate them at our annual Volunteers for Liberty event. This year, we will be holding the event in Hartlepool, which allows me to also speak about the five volunteers from Hartlepool.

At the previous four events, I spoke about Thomas Carter, the Hartlepool district organiser for the Communist Party, because he was killed in Spain. I am thrilled to be able to speak about the others, and one in particular.

On January 22 1915, Herbert Havelock Riding was born in Stokesley, Yorkshire, to Arthur and Martha Riding; this is unusual because the family home was 20 miles away in Co Durham at 10 Ashley Gardens, West Hartlepool.

Riding was a chef by trade and a member of the Labour Party. His close friend Thomas Carter had been killed in February 1937, which may explain why Riding volunteered. He arrived in Spain in October 1937, where he was assigned as the officers’ cook.

In December 1937, Riding is shown as being in charge of the officers’ mess; therefore, when Paul Robeson visited the XV Brigade in January 1938, Riding was responsible for feeding this VIP guest.

There is also a photograph of the brigade cookhouse staff from this time; it shows Riding in the centre of the group, holding a banner and giving the popular front salute.

It is notable that in November 1938 in Ripoll, when the volunteers were assessed, Lieutenant Riding was graded as “good” — as far as I can find, he is the only non-Communist Party member to gain this grade. Riding was also awarded the prestigious honorary membership of the Communist Party of Spain.

Riding took part in the parade of the 35th Division at Marca on October 17 1938, when Sam Wild was promoted to major, he also paraded on October 25 at Les Masies with all the International Brigade volunteers and on October 28 1938, in Barcelona in the International Brigade farewell parade. He was repatriated with the British Battalion on December 7 1938 and returned to Hartlepool, where he worked as a chef.

Sometimes known as “Avie” due to his middle name, he has been described as looking like Errol Flynn, and indeed, he had quite a reputation as a ladies’ man, which is evidenced by his five marriages.

In the second world war, Riding served in the Pioneer Corp — by coincidence, the No 1 Spanish Company of the Pioneer Corp was made up mostly of exiled Spanish Republican soldiers.

In 1953, Riding emigrated to New Zealand and married again the following year. Sadly, he died suddenly at work in Wellington in 1967. He was just 51 years old.

At Teesside University, on December 7 2023, we commemorated the 85th anniversary of the return of the British Battalion from Spain, on December 7 1938, by giving a special screening of Marshall Mateer’s 40-minute film, The Brigaders Return. I spoke about the Riding at this event because he was one of the four Teesside men who returned with the battalion.

A few weeks after this event, I was contacted by Christine, a niece of Riding. I am most grateful to her for sharing her family’s history, giving me an insight into this fascinating volunteer, and for also putting me in touch with Maggie, Avie’s daughter in New Zealand.

I’m honoured to share the information I have of him in Spain with her and Amon, a son from a different marriage. Amon had contacted his cousin Christine in England a couple of years ago and kindly supplied her with a photograph of him.

Avie’s relatives are unable to be with us for our annual commemoration but have provided me with messages that I will read on the day. I feel that this is very important because it helps us to remember that the Teesside volunteers were people like us — they were husbands, fathers, brothers and uncles.

We commemorate them on the anniversary of the International Brigade farewell parade because it is a significant date. However, we also remember them as men who had a life before Spain and, for the lucky ones, a life afterwards.

I am privileged to commemorate Avie in his home town of Hartlepool and to represent Amon, Christine and Maggie. It helps me to remember how much he meant to people, how much he was loved and how much he risked when he chose to confront fascism.

As Dolores Ibarruri said in October 1938: “They gave us everything, their youth or their maturity; their science or their experience; their blood and their lives; their hopes and aspirations, and they asked us for nothing. But yes, it must be said, they did want a post in battle, they aspired to the honour of dying for us.”

Riding was just one of the 30 Teesside volunteers who gave the Spanish people everything, and this is why he and they are commemorated at our Volunteers for Liberty event.

The 2024 Teesside Volunteers for Liberty event will be held on Sunday October 27 2024, in the Heugh Battery Museum on the Headland in Hartlepool.