Nickname:
Bill, Wilf
Date of Birth:
27 Apr 1917
Marital status:
single
Ethnicity/Nationality:
English
Profession:
painter; longshoreman
Hometown(s):
Toronto, Ontario; Stockton, England
Date of immigration to Canada:
Monday, 27 April 1925
Political affiliation:
Young Communist League, 1932; Left the party prior to leaving for Spain
Approximate date arrived in Spain:
1937-04-24
Unit:
Abraham Lincoln Battalion, one of 40 Canadians transferred into the Lincolns on 5 June 1937; Intendencia 15 August 1937 to 24 December 1937; Transmissions from 24 December 1937 to 22 February 1938; Mackenzie Papineau Battalion from 22 February to 1 April 1938; 15 Corps, Special Machine Gun Battalion, Company 1; Served at Brunete, Quinto, Belchite, Fuentes de Ebro. Hues, Teruel, Segura de los Baños, the Retreats, the Ebro Offensive
Final status:
WIA in the chest 11 July 1937, in the chest 1 April 1938, in the head 24 September 1938 at the Ebro; Hospitalized at Madrid 2 weeks, Villanueva de la Jara 2 weeks, Mataro 2 months; Survived; Returned to Canada 3 February 1939 on the Duchess of Richmond; Served with the Canadian Army during World War II; Mackenzie Papineau Veterans Association (West)
Disciplinary record in Spain:
Jailed for disobedience, which he said was unjust; Rated a "good" comrade, November 1938
Sources:
RGASPI Fond 545, Opis 6, Delo 545, ll. 67-74; RGASPI, Fond 545, Opis 6, Delo 51 ll 134; Petrou; Ancestry; Hoff
Hinther, Rhonda L. Perogies and Politics: Canada's Ukrainian Left, 1891-1991. Vol. 45. University of Toronto Press, 2018, page 239.
Adam Johnson
