William Lower
William Lower was born on 11th July 1905 to Charles and Jane Lower of 46 Grosvenor Street, Southwick. Charles had been born in Middlesbrough but moved to Wearside to work in the shipyards. Charles was a riveter working for Robert Thompson & Sons, at the Southwick yard.
After school William followed his father and elder brother Lewis into the shipbuilding trade, the 1921 Census finds Charles as a Forman at the Southwick shipyard. William is also working for Robert Thompson & Sons at the Southwick yard as a caulker and cutter; he would mark and cut the plates of steel. Charles was working, but the census records show that William was ‘out of work’. Six months later William had found work alongside his brother Lewis at the Deptford Yard of Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd in Sunderland.
Both the Southwick and Deptford yards closed in 1930, which may explain why Frank Graham says William was involved with the National Unemployed Workers Movement (NUWM) in Sunderland and was amongst the crowd which prevented the BUF from holding an open-air meeting in Sunderland in March 1933.
Frank Graham had left Sunderland on 15th December 1936 and was enlisted into the British Battalion just after Christmas 1936, he fought at the Battle of Jarama. In April 1937 Frank returned home to encourage further recruitment of volunteers for the British Battalion. Frank talks about meeting William Lower whilst home on leave in his 1987 book:
I first saw him when I was home on leave in April of 1937. He was then thinking of going out and I understand he left a few days before my leave ended. He passed through France safely but as he approached the Spanish border difficulties arose. There the infamous Non-Intervention Committee, the illegitimate child of our own “National” Government, not interested in stopping the importation of Italian troops into Spain, was trying might and main to prevent genuine volunteers from reaching the Government forces. The only way to reach Spain was secretly by sea. Lower managed to get a berth on the Spanish steamer the “City of Barcelona.” As he was approaching his destination, the port of Barcelona, an Italian submarine appeared in the offing and the “City of Barcelona” was torpedoed. Among the countless victims was Ernest Lower. Travelling with him on the same ship was Bobbie Mackie. He managed to swim ashore. I myself travelling a few days later after much trouble managed to climb the Pyrennes at night successfully evading the frontier guards. Battle of Jarama 1937 – Frank Graham (1987)
The Ciudad de Barcelona was carrying 60 crew and between 250 to 300 International Brigade volunteers. It was sunk by the Italian submarine General Sanjuro off the coast of Malgrat de Mar, north of Barcelona on Sunday 30th May 1937. Four crew were killed and of the passengers about sixty volunteers, like William Lower, lost their lives.
Compiled by Tony Fox
Solidarity Park 