“Just the facts, ma’am.” That line came from Dragnet—a 1950s TV show with detective Joe Friday. I was reminded of it a few months ago when retired academic Ray Hoff, one of my invaluable fact-checkers, cautioned me against speculating about what Jim Higgins was up to in the Spanish Civil War, especially after the international brigades were withdrawn. I was advised to “forget the 007 stuff”. Good advice. Still……
Continue readingTag Archives: Canadians in the Spanish Civil War
Who was Captain Medina?
“Captain Medina was the sort of officer soldiers dream about commanding them, but seldom do. I had been in some tough situations with him, and we saved one another’s lives more than once. I was shifted around so much that most of the time I did not know where I was or who the comrades were who were fighting with me. He was a constant presence, and I will always consider him the best officer I had alongside me in battle.” Jim Higgins
Higgins reported to Captain Jose Medina for much of the time he was in Spain and, in his soon-to-be-published memoir, writes about one of those times when Medina (and his horse) probably saved his life when he was caught behind enemy lines. Besides the serious business of saving each other’s lives, Medina once figured in a humorous incident involving Higgins.
Continue readingDeciphering Jim Higgins
“The volunteers, led by Cecil-Smith and Jim Higgins, the commissar for the trip home, marched onto the stage to thunderous applause.”
Really? It made sense to me that Edward Cecil-Smith would be leading. He was the battalion commander. But Jim Higgins?
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Reflections on being 75
Today is my birthday. My 75th. I’m not telling you this to garner birthday greetings, but rather to reflect on the fact that Jim Higgins was 75 when he died. He’d been frail and failing for several years by then, and writing what is mostly the first draft of his memoir during that time was all he could handle.
Tantalizing Threads to Pursue
Time for an editing update. Since I joined the social media crowd in August, some intriguing information has come to light about my father’s time in the Spanish Civil War. As I tease things out, with help from people I’ve met online, it seems that Jim Higgins was no ordinary soldier.
At first, when I heard him comment on one of his audiotapes, that he “wasn’t the average guy”, or that he “knew things others didn’t”, I pushed it aside. I knew deep down these weren’t idle comments, but I didn’t have any evidence of what he meant. If anything, he underplayed his role in his memoir, so no help there.
Now, it turns out, his cryptic comments mean something.
Continue readingRemembrance Day 2018
Remembrance Day is different for me this year.
When I was a child, I didn’t understand anything about war. A friend had lost two older brothers in WW II, and I was curious about their photos on her family’s piano, but it all seemed remote; nothing to do with me. In my own extended family, I was aware of no one who’d been to war.
You are history. You are legend.
These oft-repeated words ring through the years as an emotional tribute to tens of thousands of people who left their countries, often illegally, to help the people of Spain in their fight against fascism in the Spanish Civil War.
Continue readingWho is that Mac-Pap on the Gun?
The historical record isn’t always straightforward. Take this photo of the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion’s machine gun company.
Why a 30-year Wait for the First Book about the Mac-Paps?
I have no doubt that my Dad, Jim Higgins, was writing about his experiences in the Spanish Civil War in early February 1939, while still on the boat back to Canada .
Major Cecil-Smith, a journalist before volunteering for Spain, was to be editor of a book about the Canadian volunteers who fought in the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion. He asked Dad to make some contributions; they wanted it out as quickly as possible.
Jason Webster, Author of Guerra, Says Jim Higgins’ Memoir is a Key Read…
I must have loads of chutzpah*. When I chose my second round of beta readers, I went right to the top. One is a senior librarian at the University of Toronto and three are academics/authors in fields directly relevant to Jim Higgins’ memoir.
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