A RHOS man is featured in an exhibition on the contribution made by Welsh men and women to the Republican cause in the Spanish Civil War.

The exhibition, at Rhos Library, commemorates the part played by the Welshmen and two Welsh nurses in the International Brigades, which fought against Fascism in Spain in the 1930s, and among the most remarkable stories is that of Tom Jones, who came from Rhos.

Tom was a former soldier and miner when he decided to go to Spain and left home without telling his parents where he was going.

During his time in Spain, he was recognised as a good soldier, but was wounded in the arm at the battle of the Ebro, taken prisoner, and eventually sent to Burgos prison where the conditions were appalling.

He was to spend three years in Franco’s jails, originally under sentence of death (later commuted to 30 years in jail) but was released in 1940 as part of a trade agreement between Britain and Spain.

The bilingual exhibition gives information about the background to the Spanish Civil War, which took place between 1936 and 1939, and describes how the 200 Welsh volunteers helped the Republican cause and has been organised by Mary Greening, who is the founder of IB Cymru (International Brigade Wales) and who is on the committee of the International Brigade Memorial Trust (IBMT). Her father, Edwin Greening, fought in Spain and later became a councillor in his home town of Aberdare.

Ms Greening said: “More attention has been paid to the Spanish Civil War during its 80th anniversary but many people know surprisingly little about it

“I very much hope that as many people as possible will visit the exhibition and find out more about the Welshmen and the Welsh nurses who went to Spain to support the Republican fight against Fascism.

“The ten exhibition panels are transportable and I hope other museums and libraries in Wales will take the opportunity to stage it.

“Our Welsh group, IB Cymru, supports the work of the IBMT and I hope many of those who attend the exhibition will take an interest in the work we are doing to keep alive the memories of the volunteers who went to Spain.”

The exhibition will be at Rhos Library until February 1 before it transfers to Buckley Library for the month of February.