Thursday, May 6, 2010

Michael Economides


Michael Economides was born January 17th, 1910 in Nicosia, the son of a wheat merchant. He left Cyprus at the age of 16 for Latin America but an illness delayed him en route and he ended up in London! He arrived in 1929 and found it difficult to get a job. Already influenced by the British Communist Party's stance on Cyprus, he joined the League Against Imperialism and the Communist Party in 1932.
He travelled to Spain in 1936 to fight for the republic; he became a captain and fought in many of the bloodiest of battles, including at Jarama, where he was shot in the leg and the Ebro, where he received a chest wound.


Michael Economides
Once back in Britain, he became vigorous in the campaign for independence in Cyprus, he helped to found the British-based Greek language paper, `Vema'. In 1946, he was in the Cypriot delegation at the Paris Peace Conference.
Between 1943 and 1968, he had a restaurant and, after his marriage in 1952 to Bernice Holmes, he ran it with his wife. In his last year of life, already terminally ill, he read in impeccable Spanish a poem dedicated to the Brigades to a crowd of 12,000 at the Madrid Palace of Sports. Twenty days later, he was dead, aged 86, on November 25th 1996.

7 comments:

  1. I am delighted and touched to see this photo of my late father and amused as today I am myself wearing a beret ( a "Txapeldun") that I bought last year in Bilbao to keep out the Dunedin rain. I feel a part of your project. Salud! Kim Economides, Macandrew Bay, Dunedin, NZ.

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    1. Hi Kim I have a picture of your dad with my father taken in Albacete1937,and one at Ralph fox villa in1937 I have put them on the International brigades facebook,Clive sexton.

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    2. Thanks very much for that, I'll let Kim know. Thanks Clive.

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  2. Fantastic! And to hear that you live in NZ as well... If you ever make it to Wellington, let me know - it would be great to meet you (and I enjoy making good coffee!).

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  3. I certainly will take you up on that kind offer when visiting Wellington as I too enjoy good coffee. My mother, Bernice, is also here in Dunedin and still has the beret that my father is wearing the photograph you have of him. I look forward to meeting you, either in Wellington or Dunedin. Kim

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  4. Sr. Economides, mi nombre es Miguel Castañeda, pertenezco a una Asociación de Memoria Historica y Democratica radicada en Rivas Vaciamadrid-(Madrid).
    Este municipio tiene una sensibilidad especial desarrollando diferentes proyectos y actos de recuperación de espacios belicos de la G.Civil Española.
    Entre estos proyectos está la creación de un Centro Museistico de homenaje y recuerdo solidario las Brigadas Internacionales,
    la causa por la que me dirijo a Vd. personalmente es por tener en mi posesión el Certificado,creo que no es el original de "Michael Economides, Comisario de la XV Brigada Internacional, concedido por Dn.Juan Negrin Lopez Presidente de la Republica Española,firmado el 1 de Noviembre de 1938.
    Le ruego se ponga en contacto con nosotros con el fin de recabar toda la información disponible sobre su padre así como de la XV Brigada.
    Quedamos a su total disposicion y estaramos muy agradecidos de contar con su ayuda y colaboración.
    Salud.
    Cordiales saludos.
    Miguel Castañeda Lopez
    miguelcastalope@gmail.com

    https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=713b2ed11d&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-f:1686060526409047776&th=1766171d9a6b5ee0&view=att&disp=safe

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    1. Muchas gracias por la ayuda amigo Daan.
      Enhorabuena por tu trabajo/estudio sobre la "boina".Le enviaré el contacto a un hermano que siempre lleva boina. Enhorabuena y gracias.

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