Richard Joeseph Swain | Canadian Cultural History About The Spanish Civil War

Nickname:

Rick

Date of birth:

Monday, 5 May 1902

Marital status:

single

Ethnicity/Nationality:

Canadian; Irish

Profession:

sailor; construction worker; painter

Hometown(s):

Edmonton, Alberta; Coal Creek, British Columbia; Fernie, British Columbia

Education:

grade 9; Toronto Tech College, engineering (didn't finish)

Political affiliation:

Communist Party of Canada, 1932; Communist Party of Spain

Affiliations to union and social groups:

Federated Seafarers' Union of Canada; Single Unemployed Union; Canadian Labor Defence League; Single Men's Unemployed Association; Involved in strikes and demonstrations

Prior military experience:

Canadian Expeditionary Force during World War I, 1917-1919: Private

Approximate date arrived in Spain:

1937-06-05; 1937-06-26 arrived

Unit:

Mackenzie Papineau Battalion, Company 3, Section 2; Sergeant; English Battalion/57th Battalion: July to November 1937; Section political commissar during Fuentes; Rank Sargento

Final status:

WIA 19 January 1938 from mortar shrapnel in groin; Hospitalized; Survived; Returned to Canada 3 February 1939 on the Duchess of Richmond; Died in 1964

Sources:

Figueres List; RGASPI Fond 545, Opis 6, Delo 570, ll. 103-110; RGASPI Fond 545, Opis 6, Delo 512, ll. 46; Momryk; Petrou; Ancestry; BC Archives