Durruti Column
Texidor, Greville, 1902- 1964 and Werner Droescher 1911-1978
Short biographies of Greville Texidor and Werner Droescher who both fought with the Spanish anarchist militias.
Greville Texidor was born in 1902 at Wolverhampton, the daughter of William Arthur Foster and Editha Greville Prideaux. Her father, a barrister, committed suicide in 1920 due to a scandal. Her mother was an artist who had originally moved from Auckland in New Zealand to study art in London in 1895.
Salamé Miro, José, 1920-2007
A short biography of José Salamé Miro, militant of Spanish origin active in France and the Spanish Revolution.
José Salamé Miro was born in the small village of Vinebra in the Catalan province of Tarragona. His childhood was spent in Barcelona. His father was a saddler and sympathetic to the CNT, attending the libertarian ateneo of the neighbourhood. Jose was a choir boy as a child, but as he grew he started moving towards anarchist ideas. He became a member of the CNT and the Libertarian Youth (FIJL).
Durruti, Buenaventura, 1896-1936
A biography of legendary Spanish anarchist and Civil War fighter Buenaventura Durruti.
To reduce to a few hundred words the life story of an almost mythic figure is not an easy task. It can be said, without fear of exaggeration, that Buenaventura Durruti symbolised in his person the courageous struggle of workers and peasants in that country, and more specifically symbolises the spirit of Spanish anarchism.
Mohamed, Sail, 1894-1953
A biography of Algerian anarchist, Spanish Civil War fighter and mechanic Sail Mohamed Ameriane ben Amerzaine.
Sail Mohamed
Full name Sail Mohamed Ameriane ben Amerzaine, born 14 October 1894 - Kabylie, Algeria, died April 1953
Sail Mohamed Ameriane ben Amerzaine (pictured above sitting front row centre) was born on 14 October 1894 at Tarbeit-Beni-Ouglis in the Berber region of Kabylie, Algeria.
Salvadori, Bruno, 1910-1982
A short biography of Italian anarchist and Spanish Civil War fighter Bruno Salvadori, alias Antoine or Antonio Gimenez.
Bruno Salvadori
Alias Antoine or Antonio Gimenez, born 14 December 1910, Italy, died 26 December 1982, France
Thalmann, Clara, 1910-1987
A biography of Swiss anarchist Clara Thalmann, who travelled to Spain to fight in the Durruti Column in the Civil War.
Clara Thalmann
Born Clara Ensner, 1910 - Basel, Switzerland, died 27 January 1987 - France
“I am going to make the revolution in the the sky” - Clara Thalmann, 1953.
A soldier returns - letter from an American fighter in the Durruti Column
A letter from an American trade unionist and member of the revolutionary union the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) about his experiences as a fighter in the Spanish Civil War and Revolution of 1936-9 in the International section of the anarchist Durruti Column.
The following letter was published in the paper of the American IWW's paper, One Big Union Monthly in 1937.
Original introduction
Cottin, Louis Emile, 1896-1937
A biography of Louis Emile Cottin, who attempted to assassinate the French president and fought in the Durruti Column in the Spanish Civil War.
Louis Emile Cottin
Nicknamed Milou, born 14 March 1896 - Creil, France, died 8 September 1937 - Farlete, Spain
Born 14th March 1896 at Creil, Emile Cottin was raised at Compiegne in a working class family, becoming a carpenter-cabinet maker. He starting reading Zola and became interested in libertarian ideas.
Kirschey, Helmut, 1913-2003
A short biography of Helmut Kirschey, who was probably the last surviving German anarchist to have fought with the Durruti Column in the Spanish Civil War.
Helmut Kirchey was born 22nd January 1913 in Elberfeld. His father was an active member of the Social Democratic Party, who died on the front in 1917. Hunger affected the family, with Helmut’s mother seeking work in France.
Einstein, Carl, 1885-1940
A short biography of German poet, writer, art historian and anarchist combatant in the Spanish Revolution, Carl Einstein. He commited suicide in 1940 to avoid Nazi persecution.
Carl Einstein
Aka Karl Einstein, born 26 April 1885 - Neuwied/Rhein, Germany, died 3 or 5 July 1940 - France
Impassioned by art, Einstein was loosely associated with the Dada movement, and was part of the German expressionist movement where he discovered Picasso, cubism, and also African art.
