Lewis Clive

Lewis Clive (8 September 1910 – August 1938) was a British rower who won a gold medal in the 1932 Summer Olympics. He volunteered to fight for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War and was killed in action.

Life Born in Herefordshire, Clive was the younger son of Lt-Col. Percy Clive, a Liberal Unionist (later Conservative) MP for Ross who was killed in the First World War. He was educated at Heatherdown Preparatory School near Ascot, then Eton where he became captain of both Oppidans and Boats. They were selected to compete in the coxless pairs at the 1932 Summer Olympics, where they won the gold medal with a comfortable victory in the final at Long Beach, California.

In August 1932, Clive was commissioned in the Grenadier Guards; he resigned his commission in 1937.

During the 1930s, Clive, influenced by the threat of fascism, moved politically to the left. He was a member of the Fabian Society and a founding member of the National Council for Civil Liberties in 1934. in 1937.

His The People's Army, with an introduction by Major C. R. Attlee, the leader of the Labour Party, was published by Victor Gollancz Ltd, under the auspices of the New Fabian Research Bureau in 1938.

Clive fell in love with Mary Farmar (the author Mary Wesley) and asked her to marry him.

Spanish Civil War

Clive arrived in Spain on 4 February 1938, where he joined the International Brigades. He took part in the fighting against Nationalist forces in Aragon, where he wielded a heavy machine-gun. He accompanied the Republican volunteers during their retreat across the River Ebro. alongside others members of the Clive family.

The Oxford Spanish Civil War memorial, erected in 2017, includes Clive's name and five other people from Oxfordshire who died fighting for the Republicans.

Legacy A fictionalised version of Clive appeared in Mary Wesley's novel The Camomile Lawn. The character, Oliver Ansty, was portrayed by Toby Stephens in the TV adaptation.

British folk band The Young'uns’ album and stage show The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff mentions Clive, who was a comrade of Johnny Longstaff in the International Brigade. The song "Lewis Clive" is an exaggerated portrayal of Clive’s swimming ability, describes his bravery during the Spanish Civil War and mourns his loss.

Works