[S name was |Frank Thompson. He was 23. Bulgarian Fascists, fighting for the Germans, murdered The Story of his brave death, of of his life, of the service he per- formed for ‘the free Deoples of the world, can now be told. The facets have come to England in letters written by his associates in the army. account of his murderers was told recently to his mother by Mme. Sharova, a Bulgarian the World Trade Union Conference. The deeds of the partisans, Section to Bulgarian and especially the which Frank Was attached as a British liason of- « have become a legend * ficer, throughout the whole country. They were led by General Trichkov, Chief of Staff of the Bulgarian Partisan Army, a metal worker who had fought for the Spanish Republie in the International Brigade. The detachment was sur- rounded by armed forces of the pro-Nazi Bulgarian Govern- ment in the mountains north of Sofia a year ago. They were overpowered. Trichkov and most of his par- tisans were killed. Those who were captured were murdered later. Many were tortured and some had their eyes put out. Frank was taken to Litakovo with four other officers, in- cluding an American and eight other local partisans. The full story of their cap-: ture will one day be told. At Litakovo the Gestapo hoped to inflame the people’s indignation against them and report that they were lynched. Their plan failed. The people knew the partisans as libera- tors. Hastily the Gestapo staged a mockery of a trial in the vilk lage hall. A Bulgarian Fascist captain was the judge, and the leading citizens of the town were forced to pack the hall and watch the horrible pro- ceedings. Mme. Sharova, a school teacher, was there with her young daughter. The trial was so brutal and such a travesty of justice that her daughter, weep- ing, left the hall. But Mme. Sharova had to stay. She re- solved'to give a report to her trade union. She memorised every word of the questioning and every action of the mur- derers. Frank was sitting against a ‘pillar, smoking his pipe—ealm and stern. He answered his questioners in fluent Bulgar- ian. He was asked his name, nationality and opinions. He gave them. . “Tama Communist,” he re- plied, proudly. To the question ‘why did he, an Englishman, enter Bulgaria, to fight against its people, he replied: “T came because this War is something very much deeper than a struggle of nation against nation. The greatest thing in the world now is the struggle of anti - Fascism against Fascism.” PAGE 14 — pa. MAGAZINE sp I Give You The Of Freedom’ By Phyl Griffith Raising his right hand with fist clenched, a young English Army major spoke these words fo the assembled people of a Bulgarian village, under the eyes of the Gestapo. They are the last words of a great, courageous They told him they. would shoot him. = “T am ready to die for free- dom,’ he Said. “I am proud. to die with Bulgarian Patriots as HE Watching crowd could: keep silent no longer. They were stirred by his words and his proud bearing. One woman, weeping, declar- ed with passion to the “Judges”: “Tam old. It does not matter ‘ what you do to me. But you are wrong. We are not with you. We are on the side of these brave men.” The captain struck her down. He feared the crowd and wound up. the proceedings. It was with calm that Frank Marshalled the condemned men - and marched them off, walking erect in front of the column. It was then that he raised his clenched fist and spoke his last words. The captain struck down his arm, but, defying the Ges- tapo the crowd replied. - Thou- sands of fists were raised in the air. 1 The condemned men marched to the castle to be shot. They died giving the salute of free- dom. That was in June, 1944. Three months later the Germans were driven from Bulgaria, and the Fatherland F@®nt Government was set up. . Then the people of Bulgaria were able to show how deeply they honored these free fight- ers. The 13 heroes of Litakova were laid together in a common grave in the public gardens of the village on November 12. A crowd of fifty thousand people lined the route as the coffins were borne there. The people had collected money for a me- morial. It was an honorable end for 13 great men. WHAT Sort of man was Frank Thompson? His. parents are Professor Edward Thomp- son, scholar, poet, expert on India, and his wife, who comes from New England stock. Her Protestant ancestors emigrated to America to escape from what they considered to be tyranny. The tradition of freedom runs through the family. Frank was educated at Win- chester and New College, Ox- ford. He spoke 12 languages. Since he was a schoolboy he had passionately believed in the progress of all peoples. In March, 1939, he joined the Com- munist Party. His mother told me this about his youth, his burning desire to understand the world, his feel- ings at the time of the Spanish CTION Government’s defeat and of Munich. “The young who were his contemporaries,” she said, “really hardly - new that all this was happening. Some in their ’teens, knew and, though young, were hard enough to shrug their shoulders as their elders did. Those who cared were either miserable or taught themselves to forget and escape “Those who were miserable either did nothing or worked for ;2 . political “party that ‘eared’. “Frank was in the class of those who knew, who cared, and who joined the Communist Party.” ; PaRSEIEIES ae a [ak BELIEVING it was necessary to fight Fascism, he joined the Army when war broke. out. He spent some time in the Mid- dle East, becoming an expert in transport and mechanics. This” was not easy for the boy poetry and loved life. He proved himself to be one who knew when to fight. Because of his knowledge of languages he was soon moved to special duties in the Army. After his death his friends and colleagues wrote to his parents describing his life in the Army. A senior officer wrote: “TI am sure you would like to know that your son was one of those ' that he was—a boy who loved: extraordinary gallant volunteered to be dra a Gs eS parachute in the Balka . der to contact guerill there. It is thanks to forts that it has been for us to get supplies guerillas. And if, toda are large German force: in the Balkans and wi reach their homeland, no small degree due to - sacrifice of men like yo A CLOSE friend of-his -poral in the GM written to the Daily = about Frank. They wor gether for three years. “Frank obtained the J of liaison ecfficer for duties,” he writes, “Before he left he as] to carry out a duty shou thing happen to him. d that, in the event of his d should write to his pare tell them that he never ch his politica] convictions that his life had not b vain if it had helped fo the struggle toward a life for the people. How can I write this to them! “Frank Thompson’s and courage will not jonl on in the hearts of the garian people but in the 1 of all who fight for libert progress. - FE “We are most proud of He lived and-died in the tradition of our great part e LETTER from Fr: younger brother, a officer im Italy, is” @& fit epitaph for this great Eng man: “For Frank this war a crusade for the fullest lit: all human beings .. . He centrated into his one lasi tion all the promise and achi ment of his life.” Frank lies in a common ¢ in the gardens of -a for village. But as he himself ¢ for every: one Killed in the fence of freedom .”. . two © are made by that example. | BRS GR SoC R SGC CC Ecce A Lesson in Co-operation Delightfully Written in Verse for Children Sor Good Reading Try These FOR THE CHILDREN 4 lips A Brief but Clear HERITAGE OF THE C CHINA’S NEW DEMOCRACY By Mao Tse Tung By Robert Minor PLUS POSTAGE Picture of the Political Situation in China OMMUNIST POLITICAL ASS’N __ A Short History of the Communist Party in U.S. Es rey 420 West Pender Street . SSCA CCSOCCgooOoS IIo PEOPLE’S BOOKSTORE Phone MArine. 5836 RIEIESEACI CSCC: i [ahah [34- Uste Ue be [ Lome SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 1945