! UAE ANIM ARE nen 40 years after the Spanish civil war Canadian veterans fight for place inhistory By ALLAN BARTLEY TORONTO (UPC) - Their war ended 40 years ago but the soldiers of the Mackenzie-Papineau Batta- lion who. survived the Spanish Civil War have never found their place in Canadian history. Four decades after they came home an eém- barrassment to the Canadian government of the day, the approximately 120 survivors are fighting for the same recognition and_ rights granted other’ veteran soldiers. For Ross Russell and some 1,200 other Canadian volunteers, the Spanish Civil War came in the depths of the Depression with Nazi and Fascist governments taking power in Europe. Russell left a $30-a-week job as assistant manager of a dime store in Montreal to go to Spain, disgusted by the brutality of Adolph Hitler, Benito Mussolini and the Spanish rebel forces of Gen. Francisco Franco. The Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion, named for the early Canadian rebels Wiliam Lyon Mackenzie and Louis Joseph Papineau, was formed in 1937 to ac- commodate Canadians like Russell fighting in the volunteer International Brigades of the Spanish Army. Russell returned home to work for 35 years as a trade union official, As local leader of the Veterans of the Mackenzie-Papineau Batta- lion, he = articulates’ the position of the survivors, Maoists on trial for Support rally planned SAN ANTONIO, tUPT) The Revoluthonary Texas Maoist Communist Party threatened to stape a rally) with or without police permission in support of members trial Tuesday on charges resulting trom the March 20 storming of the Alamo Disorderly five facing conduct filed after three of the group scaled the walls of the histor which they called of oppression of took charges were shone. “a symbol Chicane down the red shouted revolutionary slogans as an angry below people ~ Jexuns flag. ran up a banners and crowd gathered Hayden basher Abigail busher and Crarcia were atrested on top of the Alame by Damian officers who restored to the Lexas flag to ts standard A desecration of a charge of venerated object was dropped for lack of evidence [The other three were arrested on the ground ncar the shrine Garcia whom the Maotsts have called a 7 martyr was stabbed to death Apml 23 in Los Angeles and Fisher was wounded in a koife attack during 5) communist demonstration inp a barre housing project Monday a members of half dozen the Maoist group talked to reporters in Alamo Plaza and charged that Garcia killed in “notortous fashion” — by government agents whom they claimed vowed to hunt down the Alamo stration participants Neta Reynolds, 30.) of Houston, spokeswoman for the group. said the Maousts had apphed parade permit to stage a cally at noon today ino front of the Alamo to protest Garcta’s death and to support the five communists (oO be was demon for a tried on the misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge “The Alamo takeover and tho Alamo itself are going to be on trial ” The (ELIS Shnt established by the Spanish in 1°28) wae the site of an THO battle during Texas’ war for independence trom Mento she said Alamo rn) Inuit faced with housing crisis OLITAWA WiPas A bountng crtais cxists in launt tb sku communities Thar Woot lout Dapnrisat president Michacl Anvarcoh sand recently In a brief te the Lautt Non comparable to Cond tious Profit Housing Corporation Amarook blamed goxern reve tl ppendbe yo for Crean bang Vaferver Rous oc omeatheons which hase bore od Trait families ter dive inosab standard outdated and some condemned mate tben housing Al the samc time government employees enjoy bigh quality bousing often ato hower rents than Inuit pay tor overcrowded shacks be sand Kor caample be said in brobisher Bay NW I | pee cent of Inuit bomes have improper and outdated Cote t facalitics and no piped wlilittes Tn coonmtrase "Y pes rent oof government staff houses have piped water and Se wet service Io 0 climate where Deertestng Costs can be more than $b OOM a vaomth few poople can alfiooad alter natives to publ bowsing Amoarook said In Boker foouae Loke he said goesecrnmment housing untts have sat empty foo san months while 2 Tout famibes inchuding his own are watting for homes R including a pensions. “In my mind, there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that one day — whether that da; will be in one year or 10 years or 50 years — what we did is going to be recognized as a very Patriotic act,” says the bushy-browed Russell, 69, his black hair streaked with startling strands of white. “I was a machine gunner. We had old, Russian Maxim machine guns. They were made to be moved behind horses on the steppes of Russia in the First World War. Well, we carried the goddamn things over mountains. “T was first gunner on one of those things. Our gun would go pup-pup-pup and the German guns would go request for raid BRRRRRRRRRRRR. For every shell we fired, they would fire about 10... “They had Stuka dive bombers. They would form a big circle, 30 or 40 in the sky, and then the leader would come down screeching. Jesus, the noise,” he remembers with awe. “We were in snow. | had my feet frozen I got shrapnel in my lung. I was buried by artillery. Never in my wildest dreams did | expect to get out. By some miracle, some guys got me out of there. “I went to the hospital and every day for nine weeks they came in to stick needles in my feet. They were blue. And after nine weeks, I got circulation.” He was on the last train from southern Spain when rebel forces divided the country. “They bombed our hospital train. There were a whole bunch of people A29-Wednesday, June 18, 1980 - North Shore News killed, 10 or 12 cars of Stretcher cases and then another 10 cars of people Sitting up. It was just terrible The International Brigades were withdrawn in late 1938. The Mac-Paps were brought home by the Canadian government which had enacted a law barring enlistment in foreign armies aimed specifically at them. “The Foreign Enlistment Act said that anybody who did go was subject to two years at hard labor or $2,000 fine or both,” recalls Russell. “But the fact of the matter is that not one person — not one — was ever prosecuted.” The federal government has ignored the Mac-Pap appeals and that response to their request for pensions ranckle since they feel they were the first soldiers to fight fascism. “Pensions are in there because we can't duck it. What we want is that your children and my _ grand- children will recognize: that. we were patriotic Canadians who did something that was in the best interests of the people of Canada. That's what we want, that’s the basic thing. “We can't therefore down- gtade ourselves and say, ‘we don’t want any pensions’ The number (of = sur- vivors)that would be eligible for pensions would be in- significant,” he says, perhaps a half-dozen. “What we're talking about here in terms of money wouldn’t amount to a row of beans ... the guys aren't going to live that long.” The average age is now about 70. “This recognition question of is purely political,” says Russell, “a political football” he argues is not a fitting memorial for the 600 Canadians who died in Spain. LL McCARTNEY AND HIS ALL-STAR ' a Yoyee poner hey Horn reget cpetive reed Leahest v it hort yet hha. y ‘ ferrule ec | TEAM DISAPPEARED 10? uy uf byege f ticjt Ball NMA. 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