Baxell described the book as "the first to place the Spanish Civil War within the context of the volunteers' lives, rather than the other way round"; and seeks to deliver its narrative "from the perspective of the participants themselves using, wherever possible, their own words" [REF].
The book begins with three chapters discussing the Brigadiers' responses to Depression-era Britain, campaigns against fascism in the UK, and the debates and varying responses to the Spanish Civil War in British society.