Chapter 21
From the Memoirs of Grace Bailey -
As summer turned to autumn, howling insanity gathered strength and advanced across the face of the world bringing the mass grave and the prison camp in its wake. Hope of checking its advance began to fade. In China, the Asian fascists of the Imperial Japanese Army began a campaign of terror and slaughter against civilians that made Franco's look like a model of humanity and civilization by comparison.
In Spain, Santander fell to the fascists. It was the last major city on the northern front and its capture left the Republican forces there hanging on by their fingernails. Further south, on the Aragon front, Van's old comrades in the Abraham Lincoln Battalion took two fiercely defended Spanish towns, Quinto and Belchite.
A handful of them shot a handful of fascist officers taken prisoner at both places on orders of the brigade high command. This was a blot on an otherwise honorable record of which I only learned after the war. It does not change the fact that the fascists' record was almost all blot.
The Lincolns' success temporarily bolstered my slowly fading belief in ultimate Republican victory. However, Quinto and Belchite were small victories that failed to prevent the Fascists from resuming their offensive in the north and carrying it to a successful conclusion. I had to bring the news of the death of one Lincoln Battalion soldier and the wounding of two others to their New Bedford pen pals. When I told them that the good cause in which their friends had fought was not also a doomed cause, I spoke with more confidence than I truly felt.
The leaders of the democracies persisted in the delusion that Hitler, Franco and their ilk were reasonable men instead of power-crazed sociopaths. Too many Canadians, I am sorry to say, agreed with them or felt that Europe's dictators were someone else's problem. Those of us who knew better did what little we could.
In Europe only a handful of the disregarded and the dispossessed dared stand against the fascists. They had courage and what little aid could be smuggled in past the nonintervention blockade from Russia or from their few friends in the democracies. However, the nonintervention pact remained in force, depriving the Republic they served of the arms and munitions it needed to save itself while allowing Hitler and Mussolini to arm Franco's forces and support them with air power at will. As autumn wore on, defeat and despair continued to diminish their numbers and their hope.
Vanaver Mainwaring to Grace Mainwaring September 8, 1937
The news of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters' victory in their contract negotiations with the Pullman Company has cheered all of us up. Harry is very proud of his older brother. He knows that he and his fellow Pullman porters have worked long and hard for better working conditions and recognition of their union.
Don't underrate your homemaking column just because the Cramps' virtually blackmailed you into it. I've known enough spoiled daughters of privilege who needed servants to do everything for them that I'm proud to have a wife who can shift for herself if she needs to. … I am glad that you enjoyed the End of Summer Dance. Sorry I couldn't keep my promise to take you there this year.
Grace Mainwaring to Sally Henry September 9, 1937
Fr. Fitzroy spoke to me this afternoon while I was eating my lunch at the gazebo. We had an illuminating, if extremely long, conversation. Please bear with me if it takes me awhile to tell about it. He asked after my health and conveyed his housekeeper's compliments on my latest column. I was flattered that she thought well of my hints on how to prepare the garden for winter.
After a little more pleasant chat, he spoke about Hub. He was kind enough to say that my nephew respected and admired me. However, he felt that I was influencing him in a direction that was causing him to question his vocation. Then he thanked me for that and added that I was doing Hub a favor.
Anyone could have knocked me over with a feather at that point. Fr. Fitzroy quickly explained that it was far better for Hub to confront any serious doubts or questions he might have about the priesthood now than after he has taken his vows. None of the vows is easy to keep and obedience is the hardest of all. Hub needs to decide if he can be obedient to the church hierarchy even when its members take positions on vital issues with which he may disagree. It is a test of faith.
Fr. Fitzroy believes that none of us can avoid times of trial and doubt in our lives. Also, that a lack of these things poses its own dangers. It is his experience that a faith that is never tried or examined is apt to be shallow and blinkered.
I have to agree. I couldn't help remembering the words of one of those spirituals which Ida loves so much. "You got t' walk that lonesome valley./ You gotta walk it by yourself./ Ain't nobody else can walk it for you./ You gotta walk it by yourself."
Fr. Fitzroy also asked me to be patient with Mr. Bridgeman. He went through a very dark time not so long ago. His parents died within a couple of years of each other. He lost most of his money in the crash. He had to spend a year away from his family because he couldn't afford to keep them with him. The only thing that got him through was his Catholic faith. The church was his refuge when the world seemed determined to drive him to his knees.
To him, any criticism of the church is an attack on the very foundations of his life. It is hard for him to realize that not all such criticism is made in a spirit of malice or bad faith. Sometimes men and women of goodwill see things differently. Fr. Fitzroy has tried to guide Mr. Bridgeman, but the path of understanding is sometimes long and difficult.
Fr. Fitzroy then asked me to guide him on the path to understanding my support for the Republic. Did I really believe that Franco, Hitler, and Mussolini, questionable as many of their actions and policies may be, could possibly be a bigger threat to civilization than Stalin and his Communist followers. I allowed that Stalin is a bloodthirsty dictator and that I have no love for him or his regime. However, he is a bloodthirsty dictator in Russia, not in Spain.
Franco is already dictator of half of Spain and doing his best to conquer the rest through wholesale slaughter. His friends Hitler and Mussolini are helping him and if they succeed, they won't stop until they dominate Europe and perhaps not even then. It isn't a good idea to focus all of your attention on the lone wolf far off in the hills when an entire ravening wolf pack is forcing its way through your door.
Robert Bailey to Grace Mainwaring, September 14, 1937
Diana and I are looking forward to your visit to Toronto next week. We both hope that your consultation with Mr. Garnett about Van's holdings and investments will go well. It is very important to plan for each fiscal year in advance. The Cohens are looking forward to meeting you. They asked me to thank you for your and Mother's donations to the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society in memory of their son.
…Doris has taken to debutante life like a duck to water. She is practically glowing with excitement these days. I wish she would be a little less flirtatious, though. From the way she behaves when boys are around, you would think she had never seen one before.
… Give Mr. and Mrs. Yuen my regards and Diana's. We were charmed by Mrs. Yuen's recital of Tang Dynasty poems at the talent contest, particularly Li Po's about Lu Mountain in Kiangsi. The whole world could use some of the serenity he speaks about. Our prayers are with Mr. Yuen's parents in Shanghai. We hope that they are safe in spite of the Japanese siege of the city. Here in Toronto, some of the local Chinese-Canadians are already raising money for war relief for China.
Vanaver Mainwaring to Grace Mainwaring September 20, 1937
We are being hurried all over the Spanish countryside and have no idea where we'll finally end up. Hopefully, neither does the enemy. The boys in my squad asked me to thank you and the Friends of the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion. Your parcels reached us just before our odyssey began.
The Hershey bars disappeared almost instantly. So did Mrs. Schmitz' pralines. … It's strange. I started out taking one green kid under my wing. Now I have an entire squad. The responsibility is sometimes intimidating.
Grace Mainwaring to Vanaver Mainwaring September 30, 1937
… Responsibility can be a hard thing, but I know you will live up to yours. I believe in what you and your comrades are doing in Spain and I believe in you. … Diana is expecting a baby in April. Bob is overjoyed at the prospect of becoming a father again.
He knows that he made mistakes with Doris when she was growing up. He admits he should have spent more time with her and that he shouldn't have spoiled her when they were together. He promises to be a better father this time around. For myself, I am looking forward to meeting my new niece or nephew.
… Mr. Yuen has had bad news from Shanghai. His mother was killed when the Japanese indiscriminately bombarded the city. They have no regard for the safety of civilians. Mr. Yuen was understandably subdued when I offered him my sympathies. I could tell that he was very much affected by his loss. Fortunately, his father has escaped Shanghai. He is now safe with his older brother's family. The brother owns a clothing store in the Chinese capital, a place called Nanking.
Vanaver Mainwaring to Grace Mainwaring, October 9, 1937
We rested for a few hours yesterday in a town which I will not name. The Thaelmann Battalion was also there. Harry's cousin Gottfried was with them. Aside from the difference in skin color and Gottfried's straight hair, the resemblance between the two of them really is remarkable. Between Gottfried's bad English and Harry's worse German, they had to work to make themselves understood to each other. As my German is serviceable, I was roped in to smooth out the rough spots.
As old hands, we compared our experiences on the battlefield and on leave. It turns out Gottfried shares his cousin's interest in attractive women. I should say that the stories they exchanged of them were nostalgic not crude. Gottfried was interested to hear of his uncle and aunt in Canada and his cousins in America. He remembers his father talking about how wild and adventurous his Uncle Johann was as a young man. Immigrating to America was a lark to him. Apparently, he really did toss a 50 pfennig piece to decide between there and Australia. …
… On some nights, the moon is bright and the stars glitter enticingly. It seems that if I stood on the top of the nearest hill, I could just touch them with the tips of my fingers. I dream sometimes of plucking the moon from the sky like a pearl from the meat of an oyster and placing it in your lovely hand whose gentle touch I can still feel, even across an ocean.
I dream of putting the stars one by one on a string to make a necklace. I see that necklace resting on that soft white throat that I have kissed so many times. I am only dreaming. The moon and the stars are farther away than any human hand can reach. Only the war is near.
Grace Mainwaring to Sally Henry October 12, 1937
… I love Maisie like a sister, but her cooking continues to be a test of endurance. Last night, she tried to make chicken casserole. I have never eaten anything so heavy and greasy in my life. It would have been easier to digest an anvil.
Mother and I were slumped in our chairs in the parlor afterwards trying to recover. Maisie went away to prepare for bed. Perhaps if she hadn't spoken so cheerfully as she exited the room of serving the rest of the casserole as leftovers tomorrow night, I would have been less cranky.
Instead, when Mother and I were alone, I suggested to her only half joking that maybe Maisie could get a job as a cook on Devil's Island. Mother looked at me with an expression of doubt and horror. She replied that not even the cruelest prison authorities could possibly be that inhumane.
Still, I have to hand it to Maisie. She continues to be a friend to Hub in his troubles, always lending him a sympathetic ear. It's good of her to spend so much time with him when things are so rough for him.
From the Memoirs of Grace Bailey -
… On October 12, the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion and a much-battered Abraham Lincoln Battalion arrived at the bottom of a long upward slope at the top of which rested the heavily fortified village of Fuentes De Ebro. They established their lines and waited through the night battered by a fierce rainstorm. The high command decided not to screen Fuentes de Ebro with a small force and go on to the main objective of Zaragossa as they should have.
The next day, the Republican forces including the Mac-Paps and the Lincolns were expected to charge over two kilometers of mostly open space and across an arroyo in the teeth of rifle and machine gun fire. They were promised air, artillery, and tank support. What they got, especially the artillery, was inadequate to the task and badly coordinated, although some of the tank crews and the Republican soldiers they carried did show considerable courage.
Suffering heavy casualties, the Mac-Paps and the Lincolns reached the edge of the arroyo and there were forced to go to ground. Van and his comrades in Company Three on the right flank of the Mac-Paps had better cover and didn't suffer as badly as the rest of the battalion.
They lay face down until nightfall hoping not to be noticed by machine gunners or snipers. Creeping back to their lines under cover of darkness, they passed their dead sprawled and rigid on the soggy ground and brought back as many of their wounded as they could.
Robert Bailey to May Bailey October 21, 1937
Diana and I are happy to hear that Van, Harry, Oscar, and Will made it through the battle at Fuentes de Ebro unharmed. As a former soldier, I am very impressed by their ability to survive bloodbaths that kill off their less fortunate comrades in droves. However, they worry me tremendously. For one man to come unhurt through four frontal assaults on fortified lines is amazing. For three out of four to do the same should be impossible. I can't help wondering how much longer luck like that can hold out.
From the Memoirs of Grace Bailey -
… One night, Toppy confided her worries about Doris to Mother and me. It was bad enough that the child was running with a fast set and developing a fondness for late nights and cocktails. Jerry Belham, the handsome shipping heir she was growing fond of, had a reputation as a devil with the ladies.
Toppy hoped and so did I that she wouldn't do anything foolish. Toppy told me that she wished she could have had more children. Maybe she and Bob would have tried harder to be good parents. Maybe Doris would be a more stable person.
I thought she was being unfair to herself and Bob. They gave Doris all the love a child could want. Toppy looked at me sadly. "Love alone isn't enough. Children also need care. Bob and I were always too busy, him with his work and me with my clubs."
Mother interrupted. "All parents make mistakes with their children. Heaven knows, I've made worse ones than you and Bob ever did. But most children find their way in spite of that. Doris will too."
I reflected to myself that Mother was probably right, but I hoped that Doris wouldn't take as long as her father had.
Grace Mainwaring to Sally Henry October 25, 1937
Mrs. Bridgeman spoke to Toppy today. She was very upset. Laura isn't taking well at all to being sent away from New Bedford. Her father told the nuns about her sympathies for the Spanish Republic. They have been very severe with her about them. She has even been strapped a couple of times. I hate to think of her suffering for ideas to which I exposed her.
She is doing well enough academically, especially in history, literature, and art. I'm told she has a real talent for sketching. She always was a good student, even under the worst of circumstances. However, she refuses to write to her father or answer any of his letters. She was terse and barely civil to him when he and Mrs. Bridgeman visited her for Parents Day.
He is very deeply hurt but will only say that he can't help it if she refuses to see sense. Laura does exchange letters with Mrs. Bridgeman, but no amount of urging will persuade her to communicate with her father. According to Toppy, there were tears in Mrs. Bridgeman's eyes when she told her that Laura and her father were so alike. They have the same stubbornness, especially in defending what they believe to be right. She wishes that they could see how much they need each other.
Vanaver Mainwaring to Grace Mainwaring November 3, 1937
… What happened to poor Will between the lines at Fuentes de Ebro is no one's fault but mine. He trusted me to look after him and wound up being carried off on a stretcher with at least two bullets in him. I shouldn't have picked him for that patrol, but everyone knows we joined the Internationals together and a sergeant can't be seen playing favorites. I lived up to my responsibility and Will almost died for it. Maybe you shouldn't keep waiting for my return. People trust me and I end up hurting them.
Next Post: War and the church. One soldier's return. Another soldier's silence.
