Volunteer of the Week - William Beeching

The volunteer of the week is William "Bill" Beeching. A Communist and accountant from Regina, Beeching served with the Lincolns in Spain and later wrote "Canadian Volunteers: Spain, 1936-1939," published in 1989.

Born June 22, 1913, Beeching studied accounting, economics and stenography in university. In 1932, he joined the militia for 3 months, and was later involved in the On-to-Ottawa Trek and the Regina Riot. His records say he was a member of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation until his expulsion, and that he joined the Communist Party and the Young Communist League in 1936.

Beeching arrived in Spain in October 1937, serving with the Lincolns as a guard at Albacete, the HQ of the International Brigades, and guarding money as it was transferred to Barcelona. He returned to Canada in February 1939, and was interned from 1940-2 alongside 130 other Communists and labour leaders under the "Defence of Canada Regulations." He served with the Canadian Army in 1943 in the United Kingdom. Later in life, Beeching was active with the Mac-Paps Veterans Association. He travelled to Spain with the Canadian veterans delegation in 1979, and his book "Canadian Volunteers" was published a year before his death in Regina in 1990.

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