The Red Guard Martyrs’ Division

Though many of the forces available to the YWRSL are enthusiastic militiamen equipped with whatever weapons they can smuggle, capture, or buy, there is a small and dedicated professional element to the armies of socialist Yorkshire. There were several regiments of the Royal army stationed in the region throughout the 1930s, including the Yorks and Lancs, KOYLI, and the Green Howards. Though some remained loyal to the Fascist government, not all supported the King and Moseley and on the outbreak of war, the regiments fractured - some to the Anglican League and the Yorkist Front, and some to the Socialist cause, particularly those from poor, inner city areas of the industrial towns. They were joined by volunteers from other areas - just as the International Brigades joined the cause of Spanish republicanism, a handful of socialist fighters from France, the Soviet Union, and the United States signed up to fight for the YWRSL.

These army defectors brought with them standardised SMLE rifles and a stock of ready ammunition. The vehicle pool they provided includes troop transports, light armoured cars, and even real tanks that are vastly superior to the Trubia-Naval style tanks built by enterprising tractor factories. The troops are well trained and drilled, and utterly dedicated to the cause of socialism; along with their usual training regimen, they are schooled in the finer parts of Marxist theory. They wear distinctive uniforms  - some of the only uniforms in the YWRSL - of long green coats with red cuffs - cotton drill in the summer and wool in the winter, which mark them out from the civilian-clothed milita. They are based at the Carlton Barracks in Leeds, from where they can launch lightning-fast reinforcements to vulnerable comrade militias throughout the county. 

They take their name from the Crigglestone Martyrs, twelve delegates at the first congress of the YWRSL, who were slain by BUF troopers when the fascists raided the hall. The twelve formed a rearguard that held the Fascists at bay so the other delegates could escape and keep the cause of socialism alive. Their spirit is kept alive by the Martyr’s Division, who carry banners emblazoned with their names.