Mark Palmer BBC Wales political unit

Alun Menai Williams (right) launched his autobiography

The last surviving Welsh member of the International Brigades who fought against the army of General Franco in the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39 has attended a memorial ceremony.

Alun Menai Williams, 90, was at the event in Cardiff.

Commemorating the role of Welsh volunteers in the International Brigades, a ceremony was held at Cathays Park on Saturday.

During the weekend of events in honour of the International Brigades, Mr Williams said he thought of the 33 Welsh soldiers who died during the Civil War each day.

Mr Williams, who has just published his autobiography, is determined they should not be forgotten.

"A day doesn't go by when I don't think of those brave young lads," he said.

Born in 1914 at Gilfach Goch, he volunteered to fight in Spain in 1936.

"I was an anti-fascist then, I still am today, I went to fight fascists back then and given the chance, I would do it again today," he added.

Alun Menai Williams with Dr Hywel Francis

First Minister, Rhodri Morgan, who attended the ceremony, has paid tribute to the Welsh men who fought in the Spanish Civil War.

Mr Morgan said the Welsh men who volunteered to fight against fascism should be honoured because they had risked all for their principles.

He added: "In Wales in the 1930s we had highly politicised self-educated young men, many from the mining communities, who asked the question: 'If I don't go and do something about the fascists, then who will?'.

"Well to their eternal credit, they decided that they were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice, to die on the battlefield, to fight fascism. That should never be forgotten."

Also attending were the Aberavon MP and historian Hywel Francis and the former General Secretary of Transport and General Workers Union and Spanish Civil War veteran Jack Jones.

Hywel Francis read an extract of TE Nicholas' poem "To Remember The Welshmen Who Fell In Spain":

"Neither dole nor jail could dim that love, a fiery band that bound him to his own wild Wales and amid those nameless ones who shared that dream who died for Wales outside Madrid".

Dr Francis said the men who fought in Spain were "doing it for peace and justice not just for Wales and the UK, or for Europe, but for the whole world".

Sacrifice

Jack Jones, now 91, was injured during the River Ebro offensive in 1938.

He thinks young people should know about the events in Spain 70 years ago and said: "To many people it was a long time ago, but never forget that democracy had to be fought for with great sacrifice.

"I am not saying there will be another conflict like it, but young people should take encouragement from the Spanish war and they should be prepared to take a stand whenever their or other people's liberty or rights are under threat".

The weekend of events finished with the unveiling of a plaque in Caerleon on Sunday to commemorate Basque children who came to Wales as civil war refugees.