1. Jaime Balius - a crippled journalist. A former medical student of middle class origins. Opposed the Primo de Rivera dictatorship and from then on was associated with the CNT and FAI. Regular contribu tor to Solidaridad Obrera in 1935-1936. Author of a pamphlet "Octubre catalan!", heavily advertised in Solidaridad Obrera in 1935, dealing with the October '34 insurrection. Also wrote for the paper "Ideas" of the Bajo Llobregat comarca-a hard-line anarchist area. Secretary of the Friends of Durruti and director of its paper. He was imprisoned in Barcelona's Model Prison and also held by the Political Social Brigade under the Negrin government.
2. Pablo Ruiz - Fought at Durruti's side in the capture of the Atarazanas barracks in Barcelona in 1936. Prominent in the Durruti Column. Editor of "El Amigo del Pueblo."
3. Domingo Paniagua - Editor of "El Amigo del Pueblo."
4. Juan Espanol.
5. 'Mingo' - Ponciano Alonso-a writer of the "novelas de la ideal" so popular in CNT-FAI circles before 1936.
6. Francisco Carreno - a close collaborator of Durruti's as a member of the Column's War Committee. Visited Russia along with Martin Gudell in late 1936 bearing a message from Durruti to the Soviet workers -not their government. Attended a meeting by the Friends of Durruti in the Poliorama Theatre in Barcelona, a short time before May 1937. Died in France in February 1947.
7. Eleuterio Roig - one of the editors of 'El Amigo del Pueblo.'
8. Jaime Rodriguez.
9. Juan Santana Calero - a libertarian youth leader from around Malaga, and a member of the Libertarian Youth's Catalan Regional Committee with responsibility for press, publicity and culture.
10. 'Fulmen' - who had a regular column in the Friends of Durruti paper concentrating on analogies between the Spanish and French revolutions.
11. 'Atarca.'
12. Ada Marti.
13. Manuel Sanchez - from the mining town of Sallent whose death was recorded in 'El Amigo del Pueblo' No. 2 dated 26 May 1937.
14. 'Artemisa' - writer on El Amigo del Pueblo.
15. Francisco Garcia - whose death was reported in Solidaridad Obrera, 16 April 1937 as being "of especial interest to Friends of Durruti group."
16. In Solidaridad Obrera of 28 May 1937, the Regional Committee of the CNT and the FAI and the local Barcelona Federation of unions said these organisations should proceed to expel members of the Friends of Durruti from their ranks unless they publicly disowned the group. Next day Solidaridad Obrera carried such a statement from Joaquin Aubi and Rosa Munoz, resigning from the group.
Balius is confident that the group had the backing of the CNT-FAI grassroots, and the Friends of Durruti had groups in Sans, Torrasa, Gracia, Sabadell and Sallent, with sympathisers on the Aragon front.
The Friends of Durruti were especially strong in the Food Syndicate. 'El Amigo del Pueblo' No. 8 dated 21 September 1937 carries a report of a police attack on that union's premises in the early hours of 20 September 1937. Hundreds of Civil (Republican) Guards, with tanks, an artillery battery and machine guns descended on.the local, arresting 23 people there. In 'El Amigo del Pueblo' No. 2 (26 May 1937), the Friends of Durruti record certain donations to their press fund. 1000 pesetas from the X group on the Aragon front, l000 pesetas from the comrades at Pina, 100 pesetas from Miguel Chueca (of the council of Aragon) and 25 pesetas from Gregorio Jover and 25 from the committee at Bellver de Cinca.
[A Milita mans wages were 10 pesetas a day at the time AF].
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