A most interesting tribute, written by Joe Toscano:
Buttonshaw was born in England around 1915. He volunteered
for service in the Spanish Civil War as an 'ILP supporter' and initially fought
alongside George Orwell in a Trokyist militia, the P.O.U.M. He delighted in
telling the story of how he told George Orwell to keep his head down or he
would be shot. Just after he uttered his warning, Orwell was shot through the
neck.
When the P.O.U.M militias were destroyed by the communists,
he joined the anarchists and fought in F.A.I. anarchist militias on the Aragon
front and Catalonia. With tens of thousands of other participants in the
Spanish Civil War he fled over the Spanish border into France. He managed to
stay out of the camps the refugees were herded into and with the help of some
of the French Anarchist Groups he made his way to Paris just as WWII broke out.
The only way he could escape from France after the Nazi invasion was to join
the French Foreign Legion.
Harvey Buttonshaw - veteran of the POUM and anarchist militias
He was posted to West Africa by the Vichy government and
found himself fighting for the Nazis. He deserted and then began a remarkable
story of courage and luck. Four of them escaped the Foreign Legion. They
crossed West Africa and the Sahara desert. He was the only one who survived. He
made his way across the Sahara desert on foot until he bumped into British
soldiers in Libya.
Harvey returned to England and joined the merchant navy
eventually reaching Australia in 1949. He worked around Australia in a variety
of capacities and eventually settled down in Lovers Hill in the Otway ranges in
Victoria building his own home with his own hands.
At the end of his life, Harvey was honoured by both the
French and Spanish governments for his contributions. He lived in the bush at
Lavers Hill with his long suffering wife, waiting for death. His life was full
of periods of energy and utter exhaustion. I can't remember if he had any
children, all I can remember is that he made his way to Australia after WWII,
put his head down and did what every immigrant did, make a buck, built a home,
got married. Life went on and on, the past became a blurred memory until his
interest in his past was rekindled by his contact with this group of young
anarchists who thought they could change themselves and the world.
Harvey Buttonshaw died in the mid 1990's after living one of
the most interesting lives possible. He didn't believe in God or the state or
leaders. He had no faith in government. His newfound brush with fame was due
more to his ability to survive than anything else. I thought he may have some
answers, maybe he knew the purpose of life. He'd survived while his comrades
died. He was covered with the stench of death but survived. Why was he spared?
I asked him, he looked at me.
"Joe" he said, "I'm here and they're dead
because of plain stupid luck! There's no purpose in life, no master plan, you
live it, you die. Whether you live or die has no more rhyme or reason than what
card you pick when you cut a deck of cards".
Harvey had at least one son, Simon. We were briefly acquainted with him in Torquay,Victoria, where we lived, in 1981 to 89.
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