In July 1936 right-wing army officers staged a coup against the democratically-elected government of Spain, prompting a three-year civil war. More than half a million died, the majority of them civilians, and the conflict became a tragic precursor to World War II. This talk tells the story of how the people of Oxfordshire responded to the Spanish Civil War. More than thirty went to Spain to fight or as doctors and nurses, whilst thousands more joined in fundraising and awareness-raising campaigns at home. Still others welcomed and housed hundreds of Basque refugees who had fled to Britain to escape the fighting. These events accompanied profound political changes, in Oxford in particular, and the uniting of ‘town’ and ‘gown’ in a popular front never seen before (and perhaps since) in the city.