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Latest revision as of 18:56, 3 April 2024
Patrick Joseph Read (1899 - 1947) was an anarchist, soldier, military technician, journalist and IWW activist.
Life
Early Life
Patrick was the son of Christopher Patrick Read and Emma McKay, both originally from Dublin, Ireland. In 1898, they emigrated to England, where they settled in London before moving to Liverpool. Patrick was born on the ship they took to Liverpool.
In 1912, the family emigrated to Canada. When the family returned to England in 1915, Patrick remained in Canada. He quickly joined the Canadian Army.[1]
World War I
Patrick served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during World War I in a transmission unit. His unit's role was to lay telephone lines between the different army units as radio units were not generally available.
Read joined around 1915 and served for three years, including time on the Western Front. It is speculated in his obituary, which was published in the Industrial Worker newspaper, that he married while in France and had a child [who is thought to have died in World War II] During his time in France, he was likely introduced to the ideas of Anarcho-Syndicalism.[1]
Interwar Period
After the war, Patrick returned to Canada and moved to the USA, joining the IWW in 1919. In 1921, he returned to Ireland as a freelance journalist. He became involved in the Communist Party of Ireland and fought in the Irish Civil War, strongly supporting James Connolly's ideas for a future Ireland and clashing with Roddy Connolly, James' son, as Patrick believed Roddy had contributed to the downfall of Irish Socialism. Eventually leading to his expulsion from the party, leaving him to move to England in 1924, where he remained until 1932, and then returning to the USA. In the USA, he became an editor for the Industrial Worker and founded the Council for Union Democracy, attempting to combat corruption and violence within many American trade unions.[1]
Spanish Civil War
Patrick was one of the first Americans to sneak over the French border into Spain to join the Spanish Civil War, he was offered a leadership position in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, but refused, citing his anarchist beliefs. He was incredibly critical of Stalin's influence on the Republican faction of the war, and joined the National Confederation of Labour. He later fled on the 5th of December, 1938 back to the USA.[1]
Later Life
After the Spanish Civil War, he remained an editor for the Industrial Worker, and died at age 48 on the 16th of November, 1947 after a cerebral hemorrhage.[1]