ourselves. That by defeating fascism in Spain we were dev feating it on a world scale. He told them that even in Canada there were people who would like to see the democratic rights of the people taken away and that soon in Canada, a people’s front would be built too and the fascists would never dare to
at attack it.
It was a simple speech and the villagers cheered. That day we remembered our dead. You forget many of the names. Unknowns, to whom derfiocracy was more than a word on a printed page. We couldn’t say what we felt about these boys, our fellow Canadians who had died fighting against world fasr cism.
‘ Madrid
SOME of the boys were allowed to go into Madrid on a few
days’ leave. We went in relays. Every time we seemed to come the fascists were shelling Madrid. We could under’ stand them shelling us. We were soldiers and expected it but why did they shell the homes of women and children? The hotel where we slept was hit by a shell. It was funny going on leave and having shells drop on your doorstep. Somehow it felt safer at the front. At least you were in a dugout and you knew where they were coming from.
We had been visited by the reporters and writers very often. One day, after Hemingway, Dos Passos, George Seldes, Martha Gellhorn and Josephine Herbst visited us, one of the boys remarked drily “The only one who is missing is Shake’ speare.” But they were swell; they brought us books and we got a kick out of having them ask us to autograph some of their books. ”
Dominion Day
ULY first was approaching and the Americans were boast’ ing about how.‘ they would celebrate July_Fourth. There would be firecrackers, confetti, ice cream, ham and eggs; cc’
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