At the Grave of J. F. Stewart (1958)

On 5 August 1958, a telephone message arrived from Edinburgh from Mr. I. Ravliuk about the death of the Chairman of the Scottish League for European Freedom, an ardent friend of the Ukrainian people and their struggle for national liberation, John Finlay Stewart. A man who, for the past ten years, had devoted so much energy, time and sacrifice, despite his age and health, to drawing the attention of the Western world and its political leaders to the fate and desires of the Ukrainian people and all other nationalities enslaved by Moscow, had died.

Born in Scotland

J. F. Stewart was born on 1 July 1870 in Scotland, where he spent his youth and graduated from school as an engineer. Later, at a fairly young age, he was in South Africa, where his active life in politics and his rather critical attitude toward the policies of states that at that time and later held political and economic power over African peoples took root.
In 1930, J. Stewart moved to the USSR on business matters. That year, forced collectivisation in Ukraine, and at the same time, Moscow’s terrible policy of exterminating the Ukrainian people by famine began. Having learned about the famine in Ukraine and the mass death of children, women and men, J. Stewart tries to go there to see with his own eyes the horrors of Moscow’s colonial policy in Ukraine described to him by his acquaintances and friends. However, his efforts end without success and he has to be content with the news he received through the mediation of other people who had the opportunity to be in Ukraine at that time.
The now deceased J. F. Stewart left Moscow in 1933. But those few years were enough for him to form his own convictions about the aspirations and policies of the old and current leaders of Muscovy in relation to its closest neighbours and the whole world in general. These convictions on the one hand and a deep sense of freedom, national independence and peace on the other, became the basis of his political activity in the interests of the nations enslaved by Moscow, in particular the Ukrainians.
Already in the first days of the Second World War, thousands of refugees of various nationalities were torn from their native lands. In Great Britain, the British League for European Freedom was organised, which tried to develop relief work for the benefit of these refugees. In Scotland, branches of this League were organised under the leadership of J. F. Stewart. When the war was coming to an end, new international political conflicts began to appear on the distant horizon. The significance and role of the British League, in the sense in which it was conceived and organised at the beginning of the war, began to fade. This League gradually came under the influence of Polish and White Moscow emigration circles. Already in 1944, John F. Stewart began to work on the foundations for such an organisation that could more broadly and fully correspond to the new international political situation, and especially the new situation in Eastern Europe. In 1946, a Congress was held in Edinburgh, at which the Scottish League for European Freedom was called to action with John F. Stewart as its Chairman. Representatives from those Ukrainian and international organisations with which he had to cooperate a few years later were not yet present at this congress. At that time, a Ukrainian named Solovy, probably a member of the Polish parliament, spoke there.

Contacts with Ukrainians

John F. Stewart’s contacts with Ukrainians began in the second half of 1948, when he was invited to a reception organised on the occasion of Archbishop Kyr Ivan Buchko’s first visit to Ukrainians in Great Britain.

Since then, the ties between him and the Ukrainians have been strengthening and expanding. In 1949, with the active cooperation of Mr. Yaroslav Stetsko, Chairman of the Central Committee of the ABN, the first grand international manifestation took place under the slogan “Freedom to Nations! Freedom to the Individual!”. On 12-14 June 1950, the First Convention of Delegates of the Underground National Movements of the Nations Enslaved by Moscow, organised in the Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations, was held in Edinburgh. The possibility of its organisation, the success of its translation and the popularisation of its statements among the English-speaking world, for which it was intended, are due to the great moral and factual support of John F. Stewart and the League led by him.

From 1949 until the last days of his life, John F. Stewart devoted almost all his time and energy to popularising the Ukrainian cause among the English-speaking world. The League, which he always headed, also worked in this direction. After leaving us, he left behind a large number of his own works on Ukraine, many brochures published by the League, several dozen memoranda to the heads of the great powers of the Western world, and a large number of articles and letters to the British press and English-language literature published by Ukrainian organisations, with which a large part of the Ukrainian public is familiar. In addition, he also left behind a lot of material from the internal activities of the League – circulars and leaflets, in which he also wrote about Ukraine, about the Ukrainian liberation cause, about the ideas that give life to that struggle, about the mockery of the Moscow imperialists over the Ukrainian people, and so on.

Wreaths and flowers

The funeral of the late John F. Stewart took place on Thursday, 7 August 1958, at 11 a.m. The following Ukrainians took part in the funeral: Secretary of the SUB Council, of which the deceased was an Honorary Member since 1955, Eng. T. I. Kudlyk, from the ABN, OUN and SUM I. Dmytriw, from the SUB District Council, Y. Kinash and 22 Ukrainians, women, men and three children from Edinburgh, one representative from the Lithuanians, and approximately the same number of Scots, members of the deceased’s family, closest friends and associates from the Scottish League for European Freedom.

After the remains were laid in the grave and the funeral service was held, wreaths were laid on the fresh grave of the deceased: from the Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations, the Central Committee of the OUN, the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, the National Executive of the Association of Ukrainian Youth in Great Britain, the Delegation of the Ukrainian National Youth Association in Great Britain, a bouquet of flowers from the Chairman of the Central Committee of the Ukrainian National Youth Union, Mr. Yaroslav Stetsko and his wife, ordered by telephone from the Ukrainian Autonomous Republic, where he is presently staying, from Ukrainians in Glasgow and Edinburgh, from Ukrainian children in Edinburgh, from the Organising Committee of the Association for the freedom of Ukraine (SVU), and several dozen bouquets from individuals.

After the laying of wreaths, the family members of the deceased and the Acting Chairman of the Scottish League for European Freedom expressed their condolences and sympathies to Eng. T. I. Kudlyk from the Association of Ukrainians in Gt. Britain, I. Dmytriv, from the Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations, the ABN delegations in Great Britain, the OUN and the Ukrainian Youth Association in Great Britain, Prof. Ratushny from the SVU, Y. Kinash from Ukrainians in Scotland, and almost all the Ukrainians present at the funeral. P. Hayes, The Acting Chairman of the Scottish League for European Freedom asked Mr. I. Dmytriv to express his gratitude on his behalf to the Central Committee of the ABN, Mr. Yaroslav Stetsko and all other organisations that he represented, for their expressions of condolence and sympathy at that sad moment for the family of the deceased and the members of the Scottish League for European Freedom.

Ilya Dmytriv

From left: 1 – ?; 2 – D. Savkiv; 3. E. Vikhriy-Soroka; 4 – J. F. Stewart; 5 – ?; 6 – B. Mykytyn; 7 – ? Photo provided by Dr. Petro Kormylo (Edinburgh)

From left: 2 – J. F. Stewart; 4 – J. Kinach (Chairman of SUB-Edinburgh). One woman is J. Stewart’s sister, one is his wife. Photo provided by Dr. Petro Kormylo (Edinburgh)