Kaufman, Sidney

Sidney Kaufman was born in 1914. He was a merchant seaman working out of New York when he decided to volunteer for the International Brigades in Spain. Arriving in Spain in July 1937, Kaufman served as a runner with the British battalion, spent several months in the 35th artillery battery, and was commissar of an anti-tank battery attached to the Slavic battalion on the Aragon Front. In January 1939, when most International Brigaders were making their way out of the country, Kaufman was trapped in Barcelona as Franco's forces prepared to enter the city. Kaufman spent the following three weeks traveling the countryside, searching for a means of escape. In February, he finally made it over the border into France, only to be held in a French detention camp for several days before being granted passage home. Kaufman later served in World War II transporting troops in the South Pacific. A lifelong member of the Marine Cooks and Stewards Union and the International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union, Kaufman retired in 1979.

Sources:

Elizabeth C. Compa, "Sid Kaufman's Odyssey out of Spain," The Volunteer, June 2005.

From the guide to the Sidney Kaufman Audio Collection, Dec 24, 1977, (Tamiment Library / Wagner Archives)

Sidney Kaufman was born in 1914. He was a merchant seaman working out of New York when he decided to volunteer for the International Brigades in Spain. Arriving in Spain in July 1937, Kaufman served as a runner with the British battalion, spent several months in the 35th artillery battery, and was commissar of an anti-tank battery attached to the Slavic battalion on the Aragon Front. In January 1939, when most International Brigaders were making their way out of the country, Kaufman was trapped in Barcelona as Franco's forces prepared to enter the city. Kaufman spent the following three weeks traveling the countryside, searching for a means of escape. In February, he finally made it over the border into France, only to be held in a French detention camp for several days before being granted passage home. Kaufman later served in World War II transporting troops in the South Pacific. A lifelong member of the Marine Cooks and Stewards Union and the International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union, Kaufman retired in 1979.

Sources:

From the guide to the Sidney Kaufman Papers, Bulk, 1937-1939, 1937-1945, (Bulk 1937-1939), (Tamiment Library / Wagner Archives)