Bill Alexander (British politician)

Bill Alexander
Bill Alexander
Birth name	William Alexander
Born	13 June 1910; Ringwood, Hampshire, England
Died	11 July 2000 (aged 90)
Allegiance	Spanish Republic ; United Kingdom; Soviet Union
Service/branch	British Army; International Brigades
Commands held	Political Commissar of the International Brigade's 15th Anti-Tank Battery; Commander of the British Battalion. ; Captain within the Reconnaissance Corps
Battles/wars	Battle of Cable Street; Battle of Brunete; Battle of Belchite (1937); Battle of Teruel; World War II
Awards	Cited for bravery (1937); Awarded with Spanish citizenship for his support of the Spanish republicans (1996)
Alma mater	University of Reading; Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Spouse(s)	Lena
Children	2

William Alexander (13 June 1910 – 11 July 2000) was a leading activist within the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB), most known for commanding the British Battalion of the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War.^[1]^[2] During World War II he underwent a commissioning course at Sandhurst military academy, graduating top of his year. He then served in Germany, Italy and Northern Africa, during which he was promoted to the rank of captain in the Reconnaissance Corps.^[3] Later in life he became an author, the vice-chairman of the International Brigade Association, and the president of London's Marx Memorial Library. Alexander spent the remainder of his life promoting Marxism–Leninism, and was a member of the CPGB until the party was dissolved in 1991.

^ "Bill Alexander - British Battalion". international-brigades.org.uk. Archived from the original on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
^ Meddick, Simon; Payne, Liz; Katz, Phil (2020). Red Lives: Communists and the Struggle for Socialism. UK: Manifesto Press Cooperative Limited. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-907464-45-4.
^ Meddick, Simon; Payne, Liz; Katz, Phil (2020). Red Lives: Communists and the Struggle for Socialism. UK: Manifesto Press Cooperative Limited. p. 2. ISBN 978-1-907464-45-4.