Researcher: Elaine Chen, Stuyvesant '26

Lester Fernand Andry was born on February 28th, 1911, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to parents of French and Norwegian descent. His childhood, however, would not be rooted in the Deep South. Around 1915, when Andry was still a young boy, his family moved to New York City, settling in Morningside Heights at 2221 Eighth Ave: a neighborhood that, like much of the city, was in the midst of transformation, brimming with intellectuals, and middle-class and immigrant families. It was in this dynamic environment that Andry would be shaped by the forces of early 20th-century American life, forces that would eventually carry him across the Atlantic to fight fascism in a foreign war.

Though documentation of Andry’s early years is sparse and sometimes conflicting, it’s reasonable to surmise that his upbringing was marked by the gritty realities of working-class life during World War I and the roaring (but still deeply unequal) 1920s. His family, practicing Episcopalians and registered Democrats, moved from Morningside Heights to West 205th Street in Inwood by the time of the 1920 census. His father worked as a hotel clerk, a modest but steady job that likely placed the family within the city’s hopeful working class. Lester attended primary school but, according to the 1930 census, did not pursue any college education. Nevertheless, he was literate and able to read and write.

By 1930, before his entry into international conflict, Andry had worked multiple jobs and was living at 522 West 145th Street in Hamilton Heights. He worked as an operator in the elevator industry. He had also worked as a seaman, a job that likely took him along the Eastern seaboard and perhaps even overseas. Life at sea may have sharpened his political consciousness; sailors at the time often faced brutal conditions and were early recruits into left-wing and communist movements, including labor unions that challenged exploitative shipping magnates. He would later take up work as a truck driver, another physically demanding blue-collar job that placed him right among the working-class men and women to whom communist ideology often held the most immediate and practical appeal.

New York during this period was a vessel for political unrest and radical activity. Speakers, union organizers, and radical newspapers were a common presence on city streets. Growing up as a white boy with immigrant roots in this environment, Andry may have been naturally drawn to the promises of social justice and solidarity espoused by the political left.

Andry’s affiliation with the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA) and the Young Communist League (YCLUSA) would become a defining feature of his life. These organizations were especially active in New York City, a stronghold of radical labor movements and anti-fascist activism throughout the 1930s. The city's rallies, pamphlets, union meetings, and community organizing would have surrounded Andry as he became increasingly engaged with the Party's ideals.

When the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936, New York City became a hub for American volunteers preparing to join the anti-fascist struggle. Offices were set up to recruit for the Abraham Lincoln Brigade of the XVth International Brigade, and it is likely that Andry, moved by both ideological commitment and a sense of internationalist solidarity, joined through one of these recruitment centers. By January 20, 1937, he had arrived in Spain, one of over 2,800 Americans who risked their lives for a cause far from home.

Andry served with the 17th Lincoln Battalion, 1st Company, 2nd Group—an infantry unit composed primarily of North Americans, many of whom had never fired a rifle before arriving in Spain. Some were war deserters; others, like Andry, were idealists. They saw fascism not merely as a foreign threat but as a global menace to workers and the oppressed everywhere.

On February 19, 1937, just a month into his service, Andry was wounded in action during the Battle of Jarama, a brutal and chaotic confrontation outside Madrid that resulted in massive casualties. The Lincoln Battalion, inexperienced and poorly supplied, faced a well-equipped and highly trained fascist force. Many of Andry’s comrades perished in the early days of the battle. His survival and eventual evacuation to several hospitals, including Murcia Blood Hospital, Malecón Hospital, Spanish Hospital, and later Alicante Hospital, are a testament both to his resilience and to the often improvised nature of Republican medical care.

After spending two months recovering, Andry applied for work in the rear: possibly as a logistics or transport driver, given his previous experience. However, the crumbling infrastructure of the Spanish Republic and the growing suspicion among allies created a dangerous atmosphere. When he attempted to leave Spain aboard an English ship, he was arrested and imprisoned in Alicante for forty days. The reasons for his arrest remain unclear; they may have included suspicions of desertion, bureaucratic confusion, or diplomatic tensions between countries surrounding the presence of international fighters.

Eventually, Andry was repatriated for medical reasons and returned to the United States aboard the Paris on September 8, 1937. Although his return marked the end of his direct involvement in the conflict, it likely did not mark the end of his political engagement. Veterans of the Lincoln Battalion were frequently surveilled by the FBI and faced discrimination during the Red Scare of the 1940s and 1950s. They “were avoided like the bubonic plague and lost jobs or chances for good jobs,” as employers and institutions distanced themselves from anyone associated with communism or the Spanish Republic. It’s likely that Andry, like many of his comrades, maintained a low profile while still keeping in touch with his political ideals.

On February 10, 1940, in Wappingers Falls, New York, Andry married Ena Ferwerda, a nurse who had also volunteered her services for the Spanish Republic. Their shared experience and trauma of the war may have forged a deep bond rooted in mutual care, resilience, and political conviction. Their postwar years, however, were difficult, as they moved around a lot to earn a living. Andry returned briefly to 616 West 182nd Street before relocating to Croton Point Avenue in Harmon, Westchester County, where he worked for Lincoln Hospital under the city’s Department of Hospitals.

In the late 1950s, the couple moved to Camden, Maine, perhaps seeking work or respite from the relentless scrutiny and economic strain they faced in New York. Lester worked as a salesman at Four Effs Realty, while Ena continued her nursing career. Their commitment to their past ideals remained strong: Lester stood by Ena’s side when she was charged with being a member of an illegal organization and accused of traveling to Spain illegally. These charges reflected the deep suspicion surrounding those who had fought for the Republic. The ordeal took a toll, as even Ena’s relatives turned against her.
Financial hardship followed them for much of their life together. With little money and heavy medical expenses, the couple struggled to make ends meet. Eventually, they moved to Hollywood, Florida, hoping to find some relief, as the cost of living was only slightly less than what they had faced in New York. But the move brought little comfort. Life remained a daily struggle, and as Lester would later express with resignation: “La vida es muy duro”—life is very hard.

When Ena, his wife of 32 years, passed away, Lester was devastated. He fell into deep depression and became seriously ill. He eventually relocated to Patchogue, New York, likely to be closer to family, as he lived the remainder of his life; his sister Ethel lived in Suffolk County at the time. It was there that Lester Andry passed away on March 18, 1996, at the age of 85.

Lester Andry was not a famous figure. He left behind no memoirs, no public legacy. Yet his life remains an understated but powerful chapter in the larger narrative of American anti-fascism, working-class struggle, and the international reach of New York’s radical politics in the early 20th century. His journey from the son of immigrants to a child of the city, to a wounded international volunteer embodies a generation that believed another world was possible, and was willing to bleed for it.

Though his postwar years were rather quiet, similar to many aging radicals, the imprint of New York City's political vitality, immigrant backbone, and working-class grit never left his story.

Sources

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Andry, Lester. Letter to Fredericka Martin. Hollywood, Florida: 1724 Johnson St., February 25, 1972. Box: 7, Folder: 22. Fredericka Martin Papers. Tamiment Library & Wagner Labor Archives, New York University Bobst Library, 70 Washington Square South, New York, United States, 10012. 21 May 2025


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