James Maley
Encyclopedia
James Maley was a Scottish
Communist
, political activist, Spanish Civil War
combatant and World War II
veteran.
and Anne Sherlock from Glasgow
, and raised in Stevenson Street in the Calton
district of Glasgow. He was sent to work as a boy to help support his family. His neighborhood was considered a "hotbed of socialism" in the 1920s, which helped radicalize Maley politically and thus began his embrace of socialism, and, after 1932, communism. In 1929 and 1930, at the onset of the Great Depression
, Maley lived in Cleveland, Ohio
with relatives. The economic effects of the Depression caused him to return to his native Glasgow.
In 1932, he joined the Communist Party and denounced fascism and "the inequalities and social injustice" in Britain at the time.
in February 1937 when General Francisco Franco
's nationalists were rebuffed in Madrid.
As a captured "foreigner", Maley would normally have been executed immediately. However, the edict was not carried out in the case of British prisoners of war. This was due in part to pressure from the British government citing the Geneva Convention, and, in part, thanks to Italian pressure for "swaps" of British POWs for Italian soldiers being held by the Spanish republican government. Maley was finally released in a prisoner swap. At his mother's request, he did not return to Spain.
's attack on the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa
, Maley joined the King's Own Scottish Borderers
in 1941; serving in Burma and India.
After he was demobbed, Maley worked for the next dozen years laying tracks for British Railways, and, afterwards, as a building labourer for the Glasgow Corporation. He remained politically active, especially as a trade unionist and tenants' association campaigner.
The story of Maley's capture in Spain and the strange way that the family found out he was still alive inspired a play written by two of his sons, John and Willy
, From the Calton to Catalonia. It was first performed in December 1990 in the Lithgow Theatre, Glasgow.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, political activist, Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
combatant and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veteran.
Early years
He was born in 1908, one of six children born to Ned Maley, a native of County MayoCounty Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
and Anne Sherlock from Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, and raised in Stevenson Street in the Calton
Calton
Calton may refer to:Places:*Calton, Argyll and Bute, Scotland*Calton, Glasgow, Scotland*Calton, North Yorkshire, England*Calton, Ontario, Canada*Calton, Staffordshire, England*Calton Hill, ScotlandPeople:*Patsy Calton, British politician...
district of Glasgow. He was sent to work as a boy to help support his family. His neighborhood was considered a "hotbed of socialism" in the 1920s, which helped radicalize Maley politically and thus began his embrace of socialism, and, after 1932, communism. In 1929 and 1930, at the onset of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, Maley lived in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
with relatives. The economic effects of the Depression caused him to return to his native Glasgow.
In 1932, he joined the Communist Party and denounced fascism and "the inequalities and social injustice" in Britain at the time.
Spanish Civil war
In 1936, Maley went to fight in Spain after hearing La Pasionaria on the radio. He was captured during the Battle of JaramaBattle of Jarama
The Battle of Jarama was an attempt by General Franco's Nationalists to dislodge the Republican lines along the river Jarama, just east of Madrid, during the Spanish Civil War...
in February 1937 when General Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
's nationalists were rebuffed in Madrid.
As a captured "foreigner", Maley would normally have been executed immediately. However, the edict was not carried out in the case of British prisoners of war. This was due in part to pressure from the British government citing the Geneva Convention, and, in part, thanks to Italian pressure for "swaps" of British POWs for Italian soldiers being held by the Spanish republican government. Maley was finally released in a prisoner swap. At his mother's request, he did not return to Spain.
World War II
After GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's attack on the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, Maley joined the King's Own Scottish Borderers
King's Own Scottish Borderers
The King's Own Scottish Borderers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division.-History:It was raised on 18 March 1689 by the Earl of Leven to defend Edinburgh against the Jacobite forces of James II. It is said that 800 men were recruited within the space of two hours...
in 1941; serving in Burma and India.
After he was demobbed, Maley worked for the next dozen years laying tracks for British Railways, and, afterwards, as a building labourer for the Glasgow Corporation. He remained politically active, especially as a trade unionist and tenants' association campaigner.
Family
He married Anne Watt in March 1948. They had nine children. Although he had been raised Catholic, Maley sent his nine children to non-denominational schools. He often borrowed books from the Book Exchange at Gilmorehill, giving his children a week to read them before taking them back in return for others.The story of Maley's capture in Spain and the strange way that the family found out he was still alive inspired a play written by two of his sons, John and Willy
Willy Maley
William Timothy "Willy" Maley is a Scottish literary critic, editor, teacher and writer.Maley is Professor of Renaissance Studies at the University of Glasgow, Fellow of the English Association , and founder, with the late Philip Hobsbaum, of Glasgow's Creative Writing programme...
, From the Calton to Catalonia. It was first performed in December 1990 in the Lithgow Theatre, Glasgow.