A rare hand-painted fan donated to the Museum of Vancouver holds the signatures of roughly 35 Canadian volunteers who fought fascism in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) — most from British Columbia, and 13 of whom never came home. In this special episode of On the Line: BC's Labour History Podcast, retired labour lawyer and historian David Yorke traces the stories behind the names on the fan, from BC loggers and miners who joined the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion ("Mac-Paps") of the International Brigades, to the union movements of the Depression era that sent them to Spain, to the RCMP surveillance and decades-long fight for veteran recognition they faced on their return. Hosted by Rod Mickleburgh, and based upon an interview by Patricia Wejr and Donna Sacuta of the BC Labour Heritage Centre.

Topics covered: Spanish Civil War · Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion · Mac-Paps · International Brigades · BC labour history · Museum of Vancouver · anti-fascism · Great Depression · union history · Canadian volunteers in Spain

Host: Rod Mickleburgh

Research and writing: Patricia Wejr

Technician: John Mabbott

Theme song: "Hold the Fort” (traditional) - Arranged & performed by Tom Hawken & his band, 1992.

Episode music: "¡Ay Carmela!" (traditional) - Performed by Gómez Naharro

Sources:

Wejr, Patricia and Donna Sacuta. (2026). Interview with David Yorke [Audio Recording]. BC Labour Heritage Centre.

Liversedge, Ronald. Mac-Pap: Memoir of a Canadian in the Spanish Civil War. Edited by David Yorke. Vancouver: New Star Books, 2013.

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On February 18, 1965, a massive avalanche struck the remote Granduc copper mine camp, north of Stewart, BC. Twenty-six of the 150 workers on site were killed, mostly members of Labourers' International Union Local 168. The slide destroyed bunkhouses, the cookhouse, and other facilities with devastating force, even rebounding off the valley floor.

The camp was fog-bound and isolated; an SOS was picked up by a ship in the Aleutian Islands, bringing in American Air Force helicopters. Survivors dug with makeshift tools, used sticks to probe for buried workers. One man was found alive after 79 hours buried under the snow, surviving in an air pocket.

A government investigation cleared the company of negligence; the mine eventually reopened and operated until 1984.

This episode features memories from survivors Vince Ready and Art Vibert, as well as music from Stompin' Tom Connors.

Host: Rod Mickleburgh

Research and writing: Patricia Wejr

Technician: John Mabbott

Voice of Art Vibert: John Mabbott

Theme song: "Hold the Fort” (traditional) - Arranged & performed by Tom Hawken & his band, 1992.

Episode music: "How the Mountain Came Down" (1973) music and lyrics by Stompin' Tom Connors.

Episode Image: Ray Allan, Vancouver Sun.

Sources:

Mickleburgh, Rod and Carmela Allevato. (2024). Interview with Vince Ready [Audio Recording]. BC Labour Heritage Centre https://www.labourheritagecentre.ca/collection/vince-ready-interview-labour-arbitrator-mediator/

Disasters of the Century Season 7 Granduc Avalanche [Video Recording]. Copyright of Partners in Motion INC. https://youtu.be/7jZQxsL2C04?si=9AgWLsj18OylJLRL

RBCM@Home: Stewart Museum (2020) [Video Recording]. Royal BC Museum. https://youtu.be/iEXrCBrxzcY?si=mfFYWASxUybd5z0h

Vibert, Art. A Granduc Story. A personal travel diary to Granduc Mines. https://stewartbc.com/page99.html

Lundberg, Murray. Death Came Silently: the Granduc Mine Disaster
Stewart, BC. https://explorenorth.com/library/yafeatures/granduc.html

Cobb, Michael. (1965 February 22). Weary Eyes Tell Story of Death. The Vancouver Sun.

Porter, Bob. (1965 February 22) Man Frozen White in Granduc Ordeal. The Vancouver Sun.

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For almost five decades Syd Thompson (1914-1992) was a formidable force in BC’s labour movement. President of the large Vancouver local of the International Woodworkers of America (IWA) and the Vancouver and District Labour Council, Thompson didn’t often mince words or offer subtle opinions. When he spoke, people listened — they had no choice.

This podcast episode pulls from two recorded interviews with Syd Thompson in which he traces his experiences in the Great Depression, including periods he spent in jail for his efforts to organize relief camp workers. He took that fighting spirit to the bargaining table with leaders of BC's forestry companies.

Explicit language.

Theme song: "Hold the Fort” (traditional) - Arranged & performed by Tom Hawken & his band, 1992.

Episode music:

"Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" music and lyrics by Gorney, Jay, and E.Y. Harburg (1932), performed by Bing Crosby.

"Roll the Union On", music and lyrics by John Handcox and Lee Hays, performed by The Almanac Singers With Pete Seeger (1955).

Sources:

Bostwick, Colleen. (1978). Syd Thompson Interview [Audio Recording]. Royal BC Museum and Archives, Item AAAB3922

Mickleburgh, Rod. (c. 1980). Interview with Syd Thompson [Audio Recording]. BC Labour Heritage Centre Archives (2024.1.6)

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• Send your feedback info@labourheritagecentre.ca
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