He was killed at the age of 31 while manning a machine gun, sacrificing himself to cover the retreat of fellow British volunteers during the Battle of Jarama.

Born in Oldham, England in the year 1906,[1] Clement Henry Beckett was raised in a working-class family and became a blacksmith after leaving school.

His fame quickly spread across Europe, and in the year 1929 alone, he performed at racing events and displays in Germany, Yugoslavia, Turkey, Denmark, and France.

[2] Angered by the exploitation of racing sports workers and by the numerous deaths of young and inexperienced drivers, Beckett founded a union for speedway racers called the Dirt Track Riders' Association.

[2] Further protesting against the deaths of sports drivers, he wrote an article for the British communist newspaper the Daily Worker titled "Bleeding the men who risk their lives on the dirt track".

[9] Again attempting to put his skills as a mechanic to professional use, he opened his own motorcycle sale and repair shop in Oldham Road, Manchester.

Clem Beckett was one of the first British volunteers to fight for the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War, leaving Britain to join them in November 1936.

[9] Writing home to his wife, Clem Beckett described his motivations for fighting for the International Brigade:"I'm sure you'll realise that I should never have been satisfied had I not assisted.

During the battle, Beckett and his close friend and fellow communist Christopher Caudwell took control of a Chauchat Light machine gun and set up position on a location which would later become known as "suicide hill".

[3] In 2016, a play based on Clem Beckett's life was created by The Townsend Productions,[15] titled ‘Dare Devil Rides To Jarama’ .