THE lives of four Prestonpans men who fought in the Spanish Civil War have inspired a new play which will tour next year.

Wonder Fools theatre company are producing 549: Scots of the Spanish Civil War, to mark the 80th anniversary of the start of the conflict.

And they will focus on four men from the town who joined the Scottish ranks of the International Brigades.

Wonder Fools’ research team are appealing for relatives of George Watters, Jock Gilmour, William ‘Bill’ Dickson and Jimmy Kempton to contact them for help developing their stories.

The four men left Prestonpans to fight in Spain in 1936, with only George and Jimmy returning to the town at the end of the conflict.

A spokesperson for the company said: “549 began life as a story passed between family members, then between friends and finally between strangers.

“Robbie Gordon, one of the company’s founding members, originally heard this story from his grandfather in Prestonpans, which is where our story begins.

“We are seeking out any relatives of the four men from the town who would be willing to speak to us about their stories.” The battle against General Franco’s fascist occupation of Spain struck a chord with many Scots, who volunteered to fight for democracy.

George Watters, who died in 1980, was a miner and general labourer who opposed Osward Mosley’s British Union of Fascists and had been an active protestor, disturbing public meetings where Mosley spoke.

He was 32 when he went to fight in Spain with his brother-in-law Bill Dickson. Bill was killed in action at Brunete.

George gave an account of his experiences after he was taken prisoner of war at the Battle of Jamara to researchers before his death.

In it he recalled, the horror of seeing comrade Jock Gilmour killed in action.

And he remembered his brutal treatment once taken captive, saying: “We were tied by our thumbs with field telephone wire in twos and threes and driven behind their lines by Moorish cavalry using the flats of their sabres.” George and fellow local Jimmy Kempton both made it back to Scotland from a conflict which saw more than 500,000 lives lost.

The Prestonpans volunteers had their names immortalised on the town’s war memorial.

Any relatives who can share information with Wonder Fools can contact them by email at contact@wonderfools.org or via telephone on 07891 173246.