\---

-- .

"We have always lived in slums and holes in the walls. We will
know how to accommodate ourselves for a time. For you must not I
forget that we can also build these palaces and cities, here in Spain I
~
and America and everywhere. We, the workers. We can build others
to take their places. And better ones, we are not the least afraid of
ruins. We are going to inherit the earth. There is not the slightest
doubt about that. The bourgeoisie might blast and ruin its OWII
world before it leaves the stage of history. We carry a new world here
in our hearts, and that world is growing in this minute. "

Buenaventura Du,.",tI, In answer 10 the remark o/journallsl Pierre van

Paassen ( "Toronlo Datly Star" Aug 51936), "You will be sitting on lOp o/a
pile 0/ ruins even ifyou ere viclorious ".

The life etyIe r:I BuenaYeI1hra DunUi

First publi&hed 1994. by Kale Sharpley lilnry, BM Hunicane, london, WCl 3XX (GB)

KSL IBSN 1 873605 75 7

 The /own ofLean {LIon} Is a/the hearl of/he region ofAsiurias. Th.'
As/urians were great fighters and paid a heavy price for /helr striving towards
freedom A typical family was that of/he Durrulls and Dumanges Their son
Jose Buenavenlura Durroll y Dumange (better known as Buenavenlura
Durrutl) became a legend In his lifetime and seemed to personify the entire
movement.

Upon his release (a

hernia saved him from
military service) he re-
turned to Loon, working
in Antonio Miaja's
foundry. His strong per-
sonality, strict sense of
fairness and appetite for
the struggle ensured that
he was forever in trouble.
It became ' advisable' for
him to leave Leon be-
cause of his union activi-
ties (especially in connec-
tion with the strike at the
Anglo-American Mining
Company in Matallana,
where he happened to be
while installing some
coal-washing facilities).
BUENAVENTURA DURRUTI Moving to San
Sebastian, he came into
DUMANGE contact with the anarchist
It (1896-1936) and anarcho-syndicalist
practices then making
JOlfe Blle"ave,,/ura saclccd &urn the company headway against the pas-
Dllrr"'; Dllma"ge WtJlf following the 1917 gen- sivity of the socialists.
born i" the Santa Alia eral strike and at the same Along with militants like
dilftrict of Leoll 011 14 time severed his connec- Gregorio Suberviela,
July 1896, the son of tions with the UGT be- Marcelino del Campo and
Santiago Durrutl and cause it had no stomach others, he helped Solt up
Anastasia Dumange.lle for the fight. Like many the ' Los Justicieros'
started work at an early other workers &urn Loon, (Avengers) group at a
age as a mdalworlu:r In he was forced to go away time when defence
a variety of workshops as a result of that strike against the repression
(the Melchor Martlncz and after some time in organised by the bosses
works dC.), beginning Asturias and in France he and the authorities was a
In 1916a5a Otter's mate was arrested upon his re- prime necessity. In cities
with the Railroad Com- turn to Spain and court- like Valencill, Bilbao,
pany. martial\ed in San Barcelona, Zaragoza,etc.,
Hitherto a habitue of Sebastian as a draft a variety of anarchist de-
sooialist circles, he was dodger. fence grou ps carried the

burden of resistance
whilst trying to federate
wi th one another in order
to co-ordinate their ef-
forts to protect the threat-
ened CNT.
Los SoIUUuiM
In mid-1922,
Buenaventura Durruti,
along with Francisco
AscasI.>, Torres Escartin,
Suberviela and Marcelino
del Cam po made
Catalonia the focal point
of their activity, setting up
the 'Crisol' group. The
name soon changed to
'Los Solidarios' as they
embarked upon a flurry of
activity in reply to the vio-
lence &Um the state, car-
rying out attentats, rob-
beries, etc. When the Dic-
tatorship of Primo de
Rivera CIUl1e in 1923, the
"democratic collabora- CNT headquarters to the
CNT went underground into exile in Belgium tion" proposed by Diego cemetery.
and many of its militants where be carried on Abad de Santilllln was His wife, Emilienne
were obliged to go into working as a mechanic. accepted, and the Ceittral Morin was handed all his
exile. Durruti and AscasI.> When the Second Ro- Committee ofAnti fascist effects: a small suitcase
crossed into France public was proclaimed in Militias formed, containing a change of
where they helped estab- 1931, Durruti returned to Buenaventura Durruti underwear, shaving gear,
lish a libertarian Barcelona and threw him- opted instead to form a two hand guns, a pair of
bookshop and continued self into the intense activ- column of volunteers and sunglasses, binoculars
to help the anarchists at ityofthattime. That same set off to fight on the and a notebook with a
home. year he travelled back to Aragon front. There, single entry reading: "15
Towards the cud of Leon to attend his father's whilst attending to the de- November. Applied to the
1924 they set off for the funeral, availing of the mands of warfare, the sub-committee of the
Americas, embarking opportunity to hold a highest example of revo- eNT for a 100 peseta ad-
along with Oregorio 'el meeting under the aus- lutionary practice was vance to cover personal
Toro' Martinez (also pices of the CNT Local acted out in the shape of exreDSCs."
&urn Lean) upon an od- Federation in the bullring the collectives, a success
yssey that was to take there. truncated only by the D""./II; as reoo/Jed by Air
them through Cuba, Rearrested in force ofCommunist Party sister Rosa Victoria
Mexico, Peru, Chile and Barcelona, he was de- arms. "Every time he could,
Argentina in a group ported to Fuerteventura Pepe called at the house
c:aIled, aptly enough, 'Los along with a hundred In OctoberI936 when to sec our parents. lie
Errantes' (Wanderers). other prisoners before he the Republican govern- called often but did not
Retuning to Europe, was eventually able to ment resolved to defend stay long, just a day or
Durruti, Francisco make his way back to Madrid at all costs, it was two, and he availed of the
Ascaso and Gregorio Catalonia. Du,ruti, pro-J936 intimated to Durruti that opportunity to tidy him-
Jover were arrested in his presence in the capital self up a bit, because he
Paris on charges of pro- TIre l4lte thirtiD was crucial. Although he arrived with his jacket
paring an attempt on the Increasingly con- refused in principle, and tom . My brother Catero
life of Alfonso xm. Fol- vinced of the necessity someofhiscomradesand said to him: ' You're a
lowing a hunger strike and imminence of insur- friends advised him real good for nothing: it's
and support in the shape rection when the Right against going, he eventu- the same every time you
of a vigorous interna- won the 1933 elections. the opposition unions re- ally suceumbed to pres- come.' And he would
tional campaign for their Durruti joined the Revo- turned to the fold and the sure and arrived in look at them with a grin
release, they were need lutionary Committee that eNT detailed its concep- Madrid at the head of a and reply: 'Go on, you've
from prison. proclaimed libertarian tion of revolution. contingent of his troops. had your bonus so buy me
In the short time he communism in December That revolution was On 19 November, in a jacket.' One was made
spent in France prior to that year and was arrested not long delayed for, in ·circumstances still not for him at the tailor's that
being deported, Durruti once more. After alter- reply to the anny revolt in completely clear, he was Don Mariango Paniagua
made the acquaintance of nate periods of freeedom July, the CNT took to the mortally wounded and had in the Calle Reina
the woman who was to be and incarceration, he at- streets in defence of the died the following day. Victoria : his brother
his partner, Emilienne tended the Congress of rights of the workers . His body was removed to Santiago fixed him up
Morin. She followed him Zaragoza in 1936 when With the anarchists con- Barcelona and crowds with shoes and my mother
trolling the streets in thronged the villages and darned his clothes. My
Barcelona, Durruti set his cities to watch the cortege mother never got any
face against any agree- as it passed. In Barcelona money from him, neither
ment to collaborate with upwards of a million Spanisb money nor
other institutions or po- people packed the city in French, which is a source
litical forces, and so, a final tribute along the of satisfaction for us .
when the notion of procession route from the Nothing, not one penny.
l>MnvIi i" 1936

"Why? Because he
to was out on his own from
boyhood, committed to
the social struggle from
the strikeofl917: forever
committed 10 his ideas, 10
the CNT. He adored the
CNT. Whenever he was
home he would sit there
and sing 10 my little broth-
ers Manolin and Pedro.
My mother used to say:
'What sort of an idiot is
this guy, you would even
sing about your expulsion
from the organisation!' It
was what he believed and
he lived for it!
"As a boy he was rest-
less and intcUigent, for-
ever hanging around his
brother Santiago: along
Anaslasia Dllmang• .Sol.r, MoIMr rfDurruli.
with Santiago he attended
Don Manuel Femadez's
school in the Ca lie
Misericordia and took re-
ligious instruction from
the Franciscans who pro-
moted him for his work
and gave him diplomas
that my mother kept for
years and years, But he
was reluctant to take
communion 'there and he
nearly blinded 6n~ 9f the ,
friars with his catapult.
"Later they attended
the El Cid sehools with
Don Ricardo Fanjul 10-
gether up to the age of 14
and he remained affec-
tionate and intelligent, but
something of a rebel.
Whenever he started
work at the workshop
that Don Melchor
Martinez had in Renueva,
he arrived home with a
real and said: 'Look at
this mother, that 1 have
brought home: see what
we get whilst they get
rich.'
"My mother could not
understand : 'But son,
what do you expect if you
are learning a trade? What
do you want them to give
you?' Obviously that was
the going rate. I was also
paid onc real per week at
the worlcshop. But this
guy could not bear it and
bore a grudge against
Melchor. One real a
week! (Equivalent about
---------------------------------
2Sp in GB today).
"At the age of 18 or 19
he quit Melchor's work-
shop and went off to La
Robla because they paid
better. He was a good
grafter and he w~ there
as a mechanic. Mc8il\~hile
we moved here to the La
Vega quarter because my
father was bad with the
gout and this house was
across the street from his
work. Within the year
Santiago left to do his
military service and my
father asked Pepe to take
over his job while he was
away, He took a practical
test and was taken on as
a fitter's mate with
Constantino Laiz at the
railway depot. He was
there up until the revolu-
tionary strike broke out in
1917, My brother played
a very prominent part in
it. He was the first to
come out. He became
very friendly with Ramon
Castro and as the strike
dragged on, they threw a
scab into the river. The
poor fellow was dragged
naked through Las
Negrillas and my brother
and Castro were held for
10 or 15 days in the old
jail.
"Even then my mother
was beginning to suffer a
lot on his account. She
went to sec the lawyer
Mo1iner who then secured
his release through the ists expelled him and his
good auspices of Don friends from their trade
Femando Merino, who union, as a result of which
was a great friend of my he underwent a lot of per-
father who was an elec- secution. Then he made
tion worker for him. My up his mind to move
brother could not stand away, using his rail pass
that and was told: 'Come as it would enable him 10
on, with wits as sharp as travel free and so he went
yours you could be cun- to France.
ning elections.' But he "About this time he
stuck 10 his struggle: he was due for military sce-
said that he had no wish vice and as he was a 'tal~
to be a traitor and he be- sturdy lad he was as-
came more and more hard signed to the artillery gar-
line. Once the strike was rison in San Sebastian.
over he was sacked by the The fact is that he came
Company and the social- back promptly at the start
of 1919 on a mission on
behalf ofthe Organisation
and was arrested. He was
arraigned in San
Sebastian as a draft
dodger and my mother
visited him in the prison
there on two occasions.
But ho was lucky. He had
ruptured himself playing
polota and went off to
Madrid with my father fur
an operation: that would ,
take eight or ten days and
he did Dot report to the
army.
"Later he returned
home: he showed up with
an 'Evcrything is fine' and
his wife Mimi who wore
a beret French-style. At
this time he became very
friendly with Cremcr and
,started work in the Miaja
Rasa iJurrIla, who di.d in /992
foundry:'and Miaja sent
him to in"itaJl some coal-
wasIiili8jfa4:ilitie~, for the
Angio-Splirli~f{tJ:ning
Company in~'Maiidlana,
and it so hap~~l:dthat
there was a problem~th
an English enginccr. :My
brother could not. j;tOm-
ach inj ustices, and he was
on the miners~ side; he re-
sorted to for~ '8.nd'~an­
aged to drive the engineer
away. This made' I1im a
reputation and the 'Civil
Guard began to look: for
him.
"We knew how he was 'r'
because he'Wrote a lot ei-
ther to me or to my uncle
Mariano who was a
railwayman and had
moved to Zaragoza. He
lived there in the tough-
est times. He really ad-
mired Pepe (Jose, i.c
Durruti).
"What an' impression
my brother made on me!
He had to wear a disguise.;,
let his moustache grow' :;
and wore mourning. 1did
not recognise him.
"He occasionally came
to Leon on business. He
always called 10 sce our '
parents, but never stayed
long: off he would go to
the union or to the Union
bar and he Mluld be gone
again, Whenever he ar-
rived the police would be
-r
f

I The Regueral business

was pinned on him too, Emili.1IM Mori" and C0/4tt. Durnltl I" Paris (/949)
but it was not his doing:
Regucml was killed by 8
Basque because of his ,,',,'
.. :,
conduct whilst civil gov- ..:;\: . . .
ernor in Bilbao: he told us
so, in our home. But that
Tejerina and Monroy>: ' employ him. Mimi had a
is how things were, even
asked him to address a ' hard time ofit,.astheY had
then: whenever anything
rally and be readily did 90, no money and' ~Crci able
happened, they arrested
in the bull ring in El to live only thanks to her
Santiago and tried to ar-
Campo del' Patardo. He work and the solidarity
rest my &ther who was in,
was edgy, I don't know, from comrades, and they
but we prevented that.
ill at case because were forever moving .,
"He showed up again
Romero wanted to arrest house. They lived in
in August 1923, having
him: I never saw him that Horla, in Sants or with
come from Gijon to meet
way. He had to go to comrades. Then he
his commdes: then he was
ground, but in the cnd he ! stopped coming. AI-
off again. But a certain
addressed the rally and though he passed through
Arias from La Corredera
then left for La Robla. in 1935, addressing meet-
spotted them on the beach
"At home he told us ings, it was my mother
at Gijon and when there
that when he left Belgium who took the train to go
was a robbery at the bank
the police had told him: and listen to him in
a short while later, he re-
'Good luck Durruti.' He Bareclona.
ported them as having
was ovcnvhelmed by that, "She liked to hear him
been responsible.
because he had been liv- speak 'Rosa, you should
"It was a long time
ing all those years under hear your brother speakl
before his next visit: he
the name of Juan and the And with those hand. of
carried on with his social
name Durruti was never his you'd think he was
struggles around the
uscd. trying to embrace the
world: he was in the
"When he arrived from whole people.' It was
Americas, Germany,
Belgium, I insisted on Pedro who brought us the
France. Once, after the
coming to sce them. They news of his death. He ar-
hunger strike in Paris, he
were living in Clot, but rived at the house in a
wrote to us: 'Mother,
were very poor, with just sweat and told us:
Rosa: don't you know I
a few sticks of furniture 'Mother, Rosa, Don
have taken a
Coktl' Durrutl i" 1971 Frenchwoman as my part- and their bed had just one Nicastrato Vela has told
ner? I'll introduce you blanket and no sheets, me that Pepe's been
soon.' This was with MImi pregnant. But killed.'
Emilienne Morin, a highly he was happy and said to "But my mother was
"They pinned the intelligent woman who me: 'Sce how Mimi eats? very strong (she saw four
around and my poor
mother was always think- blame for everything on was a great help to him in then pregnant with Wait until you sce what a of her children die) and
ing about her son the him. Thethings they said! becoming a more rounded Colette. He wanted to sce sturdy child we'll have.' whenever she thought of
revolutionary, but he told And my mother would ". man: he went to live with my IBther and to have a He was always brimming the revolutionary one she
her: 'Don't worry about reply: 'How can this be? her in Belgium. family portrait made, but with optimism and happi- would tell me: 'Rosa, do
anythib~ happening to Whenever he shows up I "And he showed up in he found my IBther dying. ness, forever on the you know whflt came into
me; I'm well looked af- have to mend his clothes 1931 with Mimi He attended his death bed move, addressing rallies, my mind tonight? That
ter. ' and give him his fare!' (Emilienne), who was and oversaw the funeral giving talks. But he was there is a revolutionary
arrangements. He was in custody a lot of times born every so many years
here for a few days. and nobody wanted to and my son was it.' The
r,
•

poor woman consoled flowers."

herself like that. Later, (During the years of
with the passage of time, the Franco occupation
shetraveUedtoBarcelona the tombstones were .: ~.

by train with a neighbour placed upside down so .'.

woman. and at the ccm-
etery there she asked
some girls; 'Could you
tcll me where the rebels'
tombs are? One says
Ascaso and the other
Dunuti.' And when she
arrived home, she told
me: "Do you mow Rosa,
they werc covered with
that they could not be
recognised But now they
are displayed and always
covered wlthflowers. In
the reconstruction of
Monljulch cemetery the
gravesofDurruli,A.Il:aso
and Ferrer; .ride by.rlde.
occupy a prominent
place).

Mmco 1915. (C.-... t*d) OtwgorioMartlnn (".t

ToIo W) . Durruti /lffroN (wItJt Dog)
 PUBLICATIONS OF KSL

Geotve
.
Cores .. ··· ···· ····· ·· .. ··· ··· · ······RECOLLECTIONS OF ANARCHISTS IN THE PAST
AIbert MeItzer··· .. .. .... ..... ... . ... ....... .... ............. . : .. .. .. .......... .. ..... , FIRST FLIGHT
Dllvld Nlcon·· ··· .. .... ....... ...... .... LIFE IN ENGLISH PRISONS (One Hundred Yea,. Ago)
Davld Nlcon·· ···· ······ ·· ····· ····· .............. .. .......... ·THE WALSALL ANARCHIST TRIAL
Antonlo Teller· ····· ·············· ······· ········· ··· ·· ······ ···· ···· ··· THE UNSUNG STRUGGLE
A. Tellez and others··· ····.·· ................. ANARCHIST STRUGGLES AGAINST FRANCO
O. AI_ _ Md A. Gntnsac ................................. ... .... . .. . . ..... .. ....... SPAIN 1962
WIN Mcc.rtney .......... .. . ....... ... ........ ..... . ..... ..... .... ...... .. DARE TO BE A DANIEL!
Odon Pot' ................................ THE ITALIAN GLASSBLOWERS TAKEOVER OF 1910
Onlp T.ebry ...................................... MEMORIES OF A MAKHNOVlST PARTISAN
Haror "'.khno ........................................................ MY VISIT TO THE KREMLlN
TWO UES THAT SHOOK THE WORLD
AGAINST THE GOD EMPEROR:THE ANARCHIST TRIAL FOR HIGH TREASON

All £1 each (post free GB)

An occasional bulletin is published at 5Op.

The CIItalogue of the .rr:hlves held by KSL will be ready for publication soon.

SHORTLY READY FOR PUBLICATION

.,...., .

, In preparation: John ere agile of Sheffield and Buenos Aires; An Italian Volunteer in Spain in the
May Days; Spanish Fighter3; Horse Trensport Union.
 The Life Style of
Buenaventura Durruti
Buenaventura Durruti symbolized the
working dass struggle in Spain through-
out his life until his premature death on
the Madrid front. Bitterly denounced by all
political parties as a 'terrorist' and 'bandit',
after his death various parties of the Left
claimed he was just about to embrace
them after all, but nothing would have in-
duced him to turn his back on the cause
for which he gave his life.

I The aim of the Kate Sharpley Library is to

bring the working dass in general and An-
archists in particular the unknown or for-
'"
gotten actions and activists of the past.
Durruti (like Makhno) is one of the few An-
archist revolutionary fighters whom histo-
rians record, but he is usually vilified or
misrepresented. Even those who appre-
ciate and respect the memory of the fighter
from Leon have little idea of the lifestyle of
the man who became a legend among
Spanish libertarians.

BM HURRICANE

-KS.L..·. LONDON
WC13XX
ISBN 1 873605 75 7
THE KATE SHARPLEV LIBRARY'