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Spaniards in British Service During WW2
By Steven Thomas on 31 Aug 2008 | Last Updated 22 Mar 2015
Some Spaniards were in British service during WW2.

I am not aware of any British units comprised completely of Spaniards. But many Spanish individuals fought as part of British formations. All these British units had Spaniards in the ranks:

50 Middle East Commando; 1941
D battalion of Layforce; Crete 1942
1 Special Service Regiment
2nd Special Air Service (SAS)
Long Range Desert Group
Antonio Fajardo sent in a table from Arasa’s book Los Espanoles de Churchill.

Unit(s) Date Formation/Joining Where Formed/Joined
185th Spanish Labour Company (Royal Engineers) December 1939 France
87th to 120th Spanish Labour Companies 1940 France
No 1 Spanish Company (Pioneer Corps) 1940 France/UK
50th Middle East Commandos (Queens Royal Regiment) August 1940 Egypt
1st Special Regiment 1941 Egypt
Queens Royal Regiment (Surrey) 1942 North Africa
Pioneer Corps
338th Company
361st Company
362nd Company
363rd Company
364th Company
All formed between April and August 1943 North Africa
SAS August 1942 Egypt
2nd Special Air Service (SAS)

Philip Williams emailed to say …

Just to let you know that a small contingent of Spaniards served in the 2nd Special Air Service during World War II. One even won the military medal for gallantry. My grand father was one of them. the names I know of are as follows:

Francisco Geronimo (pte Frank Williams)
Rafael Ramos MM (pte no name change)
Justo Balerdi ( pte Robert Bruce KIA Operation Tombola 1945)

Just thought you might be interested

Help Wanted
Please get in contact if you have more information. I’m sure I haven’t found all the units and I always appreciate more details about the ones already on the list.

Thanks
Philip Williams and Antonio Fajardo sent information about Spaniards fighting with the British.

And I am indeed. Philip (citing Messenger, Young & Rose, 1988) explained that most of these men started in 50 Middle East Commando in 1940. 62 members of this unit were amalgamated into D battalion of Layforce on Crete. Most of D battalion were captured when the Germans landed but some escaped or went on the run. Of those who escaped some went to 1 Special Service Regiment and from there onto 2nd SAS. Philip’s grandfather was one who got off Crete in 1942, went to 1 Special Service Regiment, and then to the SAS.

Philip recommends two books:

Messenger, C., Young, G., and Rose, S. (1988). The Middle East Commandos. Towbridge, Wiltshire: William Kimber
Landsborough, G. (1956). Tobruk Commando. Cassell. ISBN: 1853670251.
Long Range Desert Group

Individual Spaniards may have served in the Long Range Desert Group but I need a reference for this. If they did I suspect they were ex-Republicans from the Spanish Civil War, drafted by the French, but who escaped the 1940 debacle.

50th Middle East Commando