Helping the Brigade

The days when men had to hurry from the training—camps to fight in the front—lines within a few (lays after arrival in Spain are long since ended. Today, at the Base, under the guidance of Major Johnson, as- sisted by officers who have had practical active—service experience, new Volunteers are given a lengthy and comprehensive course of training in modern warfare. The Wasliington Battalion and the Mackenzie- Papineau Battalion got such training; every reinforcement for these and other Battalions also gets it.

To select the Volunteers of many nationalities and of varying capa- bilities, and to assign them to the «duty in which they can give best ser- vice is one of the tasks of the Political Commissariat and the Cadres Service. The Cadres Service keeps a record of every Volunteer, and

regularly checks up on his progress in training and in action, transfer-

ing him if necessary to another department. In conjunction with the military and political leaders the Service selects the Volunteers for ad- vanced military and political schools, or for various posts in the admi- nistration, in the training base and other services. In brief, the Cadres Service finds the most suitable men for every type of service.

Ed. Bender and So-l Rose from the States, Bob Kerr, Canadian leader and Jack Lawson, Alex Cummings and Hercules Augherinos from Brit- ain have in turn shared the heavy responsibilities of the Cadres Services.

Reference has been previously made to the pioneering work of Com- missars Kerrigan and Lawrence. Commissar Kerrigan was succeeded by Commissar Bill Paynter, Commissar Lawrence by Commissar John Gates.

Bill Paynter, member of the Executive of the South Wales Miners’ Federation, had the endorsement of his Executive when he volunteered for service with the International Brigades. A hard life in the coalfield, political struggles which included imprisonment fitted him for the dif- ficult problems he had to face in his capacity as Commissar. Stalky, good-humoured, hard—working he was able to make a success of his job before his Trade Union responsibilities at home deprived the British comrades in Spain of one of their best leaders.

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