was in charge of medical and sanitary services for the 
International Brigade. With a paper in hand stating 
that I was "inutil total" for front service, I apeared 
before the Medical Tribunal* which issued the final 
papers for repatriation and permission to leave the 
country.

On May 15th, saying goodbye to Barcelona, some 
thirty men, myself included, set out on an ambulance 
for a hospital located on the way to the French border. 
This was our last stopping place before entering 
France. 

We were to enter France on May 16th. Due to rea-
sons beyond the control of the Spanish Government, we 
were held up. It is a very beautiful place on the Medi-
terranean. It is a well-known summer resort where 
the rich from all over Europe visited and stayed. Now, 
its many villas housed four hundred and fifty sick and 
wounded from the International Brigade who were on 
their way home.

Here were men without arms, without legs, some 
maimed beyond description. There were no regrets. 
The men came to Spain to defeat fascism. This task 
was still ahead. It will be accomplished by the others 
still in the lines.

There were twenty-seven different nationalities in 
the group. They came from all parts of the world. 
Spanish was the intermediary language. 

On July 23rd, a list of one hundred and fifty names 
appeared on the bulletin board of men who were to 
leave on the 25th. My name was among them. Both 
joy and sadness overtook the boys. The thought of 
being able to see friends and relatives at home once 
more was mixed with the feeling of sorrow at leaving 
Spain and its heroic people, still struggling, still re-
sisting the fascist invaders and fighting for the day 
when peace would once again reign over the land.

On Sunday evening, July 24th, a farewell concert 
was arranged. Speeches were made by the represent-

*Footnote: Dr. A. Magid, of Winnipeg, was the only Canadian Doctor 
among those in charge of medical examinations at that time.

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