Robert Hilliard
Encyclopedia
Robert Martin Hilliard was an Olympic boxer, Irish republican
, Church of Ireland
minister and communist. He was killed in the Spanish Civil War
fighting in the International Brigades
.
Hilliard was born in Moyeightragh near Killarney
. His father's family were prosperous shop owners. Robert was educated at Cork
Grammar School and then Mountjoy School in Dublin. He won a Read Sizar
ship to Trinity College Dublin in 1921. There he became interested in republican politics, co-founding the College's Thomas Davis Society and participating in the latter stages of the Irish Civil War
.
Hilliard was interested in a variety of sports and was a founding member of Trinity's hurling
club. In 1923 he was champion of the Irish Amateur Boxing Association
and of British and Irish Universities. He fought in the bantamweight class at the 1924 Olympics
, representing Ireland
. He got a bye in the first round and lost on points to Benjamín Pertuzzo
in the second round.
Hilliard left Trinity in 1925 without a degree. In 1926 he married Clementine Rosemary Robins of Kingswood Hanger in Gomshall, Surrey
. They moved to nearby Hindhead
where he worked as a journalist and in advertising. The couple had four children. Hilliard became interested in the Oxford Group
of evangelical Christians. He resumed his studies at Trinity and in 1931 was conferred with a B.A. Degree and letters testimonial for ordination. He was ordained
a Church of Ireland priest
in 1932, and worked in the mission to the poor
attached to St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast
.
Hilliard's socialist beliefs his religious calling; he abandoned his family and ministry and went to London, where he joined the Communist Party of Great Britain
and returned to journalism. He subsequently joined the Communist Party of Ireland
, becoming an atheist
as well as a Marxist. He joined the International Brigades fighting for the Second Spanish Republic
, either the Connolly Column
of Irish volunteers or the British column. A comrade-in-arms recalled that he parodied the sign of the cross
by reciting "In the name of Marx
, Engels
, Lenin
, Stalin
, Stakhanov, Dimitrov
, the Party Line" while tracing the hammer and sickle
with his hand. Hilliard was one of four riflemen in the rearguard covering the Republican retreat after the Battle of Jarama
. All were killed, Hilliard dying of his wounds at Castellón de la Plana
five days after being shot. Hilliard is among the combatants namechecked in Christy Moore
's song Viva la Quinta Brigada about the Spanish Civil War.
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
, Church of Ireland
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
minister and communist. He was killed in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
fighting in the International Brigades
International Brigades
The International Brigades were military units made up of volunteers from different countries, who traveled to Spain to defend the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939....
.
Hilliard was born in Moyeightragh near Killarney
Killarney
Killarney is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is located north of the MacGillicuddy Reeks, on the northeastern shore of the Lough Lein/Leane which are part of Killarney National Park. The town and its surrounding region are home to St...
. His father's family were prosperous shop owners. Robert was educated at Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
Grammar School and then Mountjoy School in Dublin. He won a Read Sizar
Sizar
At Trinity College, Dublin and the University of Cambridge, a sizar is a student who receives some form of assistance such as meals, lower fees or lodging during his or her period of study, in some cases in return for doing a defined job....
ship to Trinity College Dublin in 1921. There he became interested in republican politics, co-founding the College's Thomas Davis Society and participating in the latter stages of the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
.
Hilliard was interested in a variety of sports and was a founding member of Trinity's hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
club. In 1923 he was champion of the Irish Amateur Boxing Association
Irish Amateur Boxing Association
The Irish Amateur Boxing Association is the governing body of amateur boxing in Ireland. It was founded in 1911 following a meeting in Dublin.-Structure:...
and of British and Irish Universities. He fought in the bantamweight class at the 1924 Olympics
Boxing at the 1924 Summer Olympics - Men's bantamweight
-References:* official report...
, representing Ireland
Ireland at the 1924 Summer Olympics
Ireland, then known as the Irish Free State, competed as an independent nation for the first time at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, France....
. He got a bye in the first round and lost on points to Benjamín Pertuzzo
Benjamín Pertuzzo
Benjamín "Benito" Pertuzzo was an Argentine boxer who competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics.In 1924 he was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the bantamweight class after losing his fight to the upcoming silver medalist Salvatore Tripoli.-External links:*...
in the second round.
Hilliard left Trinity in 1925 without a degree. In 1926 he married Clementine Rosemary Robins of Kingswood Hanger in Gomshall, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. They moved to nearby Hindhead
Hindhead
Hindhead is a village in Surrey, England, about 11 miles south-west of Guildford. Neighbouring settlements include Haslemere, Grayshott and Beacon Hill. Hindhead is the highest village in Surrey...
where he worked as a journalist and in advertising. The couple had four children. Hilliard became interested in the Oxford Group
Oxford Group
The Oxford Group was a Christian movement that had a following in Europe, China, Africa, Australia, Scandinavia and America in the 1920s and 30s. It was initiated by an American Lutheran pastor, Frank Buchman, who was of Swiss descent...
of evangelical Christians. He resumed his studies at Trinity and in 1931 was conferred with a B.A. Degree and letters testimonial for ordination. He was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
a Church of Ireland priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
in 1932, and worked in the mission to the poor
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
attached to St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast
St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast
St Anne's Cathedral, also known as Belfast Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Donegall Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland...
.
Hilliard's socialist beliefs his religious calling; he abandoned his family and ministry and went to London, where he joined the Communist Party of Great Britain
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
and returned to journalism. He subsequently joined the Communist Party of Ireland
Communist Party of Ireland
The Communist Party of Ireland is a small all-Ireland Marxist party, founded in 1933. An earlier party, the Socialist Party of Ireland, was renamed the Communist Party of Ireland in 1921 on its affiliation to the Communist International but was dissolved in 1924. The present-day CPI was founded in...
, becoming an atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
as well as a Marxist. He joined the International Brigades fighting for the Second Spanish Republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
, either the Connolly Column
Connolly Column
The Connolly Column was the name given to the Irish volunteers who fought for the Second Spanish Republic in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War. They were named after James Connolly, the executed leader of the Irish Citizen Army...
of Irish volunteers or the British column. A comrade-in-arms recalled that he parodied the sign of the cross
Sign of the cross
The Sign of the Cross , or crossing oneself, is a ritual hand motion made by members of many branches of Christianity, often accompanied by spoken or mental recitation of a trinitarian formula....
by reciting "In the name of Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
, Engels
Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels was a German industrialist, social scientist, author, political theorist, philosopher, and father of Marxist theory, alongside Karl Marx. In 1845 he published The Condition of the Working Class in England, based on personal observations and research...
, Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
, Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
, Stakhanov, Dimitrov
Georgi Dimitrov
Georgi Dimitrov Mikhaylov , also known as Georgi Mikhaylovich Dimitrov , was a Bulgarian Communist politician...
, the Party Line" while tracing the hammer and sickle
Hammer and sickle
The hammer and sickle is a part of communist symbolism and its usage indicates an association with Communism, a Communist party, or a Communist state. It features a hammer and a sickle overlapping each other. The two tools are symbols of the industrial proletariat and the peasantry; placing them...
with his hand. Hilliard was one of four riflemen in the rearguard covering the Republican retreat after the Battle of Jarama
Battle of Jarama
The Battle of Jarama was an attempt by General Franco's Nationalists to dislodge the Republican lines along the river Jarama, just east of Madrid, during the Spanish Civil War...
. All were killed, Hilliard dying of his wounds at Castellón de la Plana
Castellón de la Plana
Castellón de la Plana or Castelló de la Plana is the capital city of the province of Castelló, in the Valencian Community, Spain, in the east of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Costa del Azahar by the Mediterranean Sea...
five days after being shot. Hilliard is among the combatants namechecked in Christy Moore
Christy Moore
Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore is a popular Irish folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is well known as one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts...
's song Viva la Quinta Brigada about the Spanish Civil War.