Exhibition “Beyond the trenches (1936-1939). Photographs by Alec Wainman”

This sample recovers the memory of the volunteers who came from everywhere to fight against fascism. the photographs ofAlec Wainmanvolunteer of the British Medical Unit, are a magnificent portrait of Catalonia at war, beyond the trenches.

In July 1936, Alec Wainman (1913-1989) was a 23-year-old young man full of ideals, pacifist, Quaker and apolitical who, faced with the anxiety caused by the situation in Spain, where the nationals had risen against the Spanish Republic, signed up as a volunteer for the British Medical Unit (BMU), which marked the beginning of a journey of two years that would mark his life. On August 31, he arrived in the Spanish Republic to support the people who symbolized, for their resistance to the military and fascist coup, hope for the world. He came with his faithful companion, his Leica camera, which bore witness to those people and their experiences, and what Catalonia was like between 1936 and 1939, beyond the war front.

You can check more information about the exhibition “Beyond the trenches (1936-1939). Photographs by Alec Wainman” on the Torre Balldovina Museum website.

Last update: 09/02/2026