by Betty Burton
‘Dimitri, what a long way from Spain we are.’
‘Also from USSR and UK. Is good this new world for us.’
Suddenly she is overwhelmed by their good fortune. She laughs as she turns towards Jess Lavender, waving. Eve Anders has not experienced such light-heartedness in a long time. ‘Is good, Dimitri.’
Acknowledgements and Thanks
Not Just a Soldier’s War is of course a fiction, but it stands upon the real lives of women volunteers who went to help the Republic of Spain when it was invaded in 1936.
Evelyn Hutchins was one of the few women volunteers to have driven a big truck in the Spanish Civil War.
Winifred Bates’ recorded reminiscences provided my title.
Material, notes, help and encouragement for Not Just a Soldier’s War was given very generously during the months of its writing from: Dave Goldman of Newcastle under Lyme, a journalist who is a veteran of the International Brigade; Abe Amorodin of New York, Secretary to the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade; Jim Fyrth, whose books on the Spanish Civil War and suggested lines of research have been invaluable; and Frances Millard, Sue Bruley, Terry Smyth and Ken Lunn of the University of Portsmouth, who pointed me in the right direction at the start of my research. Not least of those who helped to shape this novel is my editor, Susan Opie. I thank her for her understanding and care.
‘They came from the four corners of the world, for compassionate reasons and opposition to fascism – secretaries, nurses and medical aids, interpreters, drivers, administrators, relief workers, teachers and, in the early days, as front-line soldiers. Women of the best spirits of their generation’ – Sally Alexander, Women’s Voices from the Spanish Civil War
First published in the United Kingdom in 1996 by HarperCollins
This edition published in the United Kingdom in 2017 by
Canelo Digital Publishing Limited
57 Shepherds Lane
Beaconsfield, Bucks HP9 2DU
United Kingdom
Copyright © Betty Burton, 1996
The moral right of Betty Burton to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781788630313
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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