Talk:Yank Levy

DYK for Albert Levy (soldier)

The DYK project (nominate) 16:03, 28 April 2014 (UTC)

Justifications

1) OK, I think that Levy is notable for his publication alone, plus his adventures. 2) I don't consider the website that gives his date of death to be reliable in the full Wikipedia sense. I've included it because it's th only source. 3) I'll tidy up the references tomorrow, and then i'll be done. 4) I've stuck with a UK military stub template because he was part of a British unit and the home guard (although he was never actually a member of the latter, I suspect, same grounds as Wintringham).--Red Deathy 14:58, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

I found far better sources for a lot of information, including his date of birth. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 12:54, 16 April 2014 (UTC)

Proposed move and renaming

The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the move request was: Move to Yank Levy. We have decisive consensus that "Albert" is incorrect and the article must be moved. Participants are split on whether to rename the article Bert Levy or Yank Levy (as noted, any variant including quote marks should be avoided per WP:NICKNAME), but it appears a preference for Yank is emerging. No prejudice against reopening if it turns out Bert is more common, but the main thing is that "Albert" is removed. Cúchullain ^t/c 14:44, 7 May 2014 (UTC)

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Albert Levy (soldier) → Bert "Yank" Levy – --Relisted. Andrewa (talk) 06:38, 28 April 2014 (UTC) 7&6=thirteen (☎) 18:40, 17 April 2014 (UTC)

According to the American National Biography article we have misnamed this, as he was born and is Bert, not Albert Levy. Levine, Allan E. "Bert "Yank" Levy". American National Biography on line. Oxford University Press. Retrieved April 16, 2014. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 12:53, 16 April 2014 (UTC)

I certainly would't do this cavalierly. I would note in passing that there are lots of redirects namely:

Bert Levy (redirect page) ‎ (links):

Bert "Yank" Levy (redirect page) ‎ (links):

Yank Levy (redirect page) ‎ (links)

Portal:Nautical/March/24/Selected article (redirect page) ‎ (links):

"Yank" Levy (redirect page) ‎ (links):

Albert "Yank" Levy (redirect page) ‎ (links) 7&6=thirteen (☎) 15:04, 16 April 2014 (UTC)

Quite apart from what was on his birth certificate, I would also note that he used "Bert" in his brochure "Bert "Yank" Levy brochure" (PDF). White Plains, New York: The Redpath Bureau. Retrieved April 16, 2014. and as his nom de plume and nom de guerre for the book. "His real name is Bert." "Yank Levy Demonstrates How to Kill Quickly, Easy". The Milwaukee Journal. November 30, 1943. Retrieved April 16, 2014. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 16:12, 16 April 2014 (UTC)

And what I could find of his obituary called him "Bert Yank Levy". As did the Life Magazine cover story. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 02:02, 17 April 2014 (UTC)

Support as long as you have refs that demonstrate that it's his actual correct name, which it appears you do. — Frεcklεfσσt | Talk 12:53, 17 April 2014 (UTC)

Comment Non-controversial moves don't require consensus, if you have enough evidence that we have an incorrect title. I would object to the "Yank" part in the title, which is rather ungainly. I'd say just move it to Bert Levy. I can help with moving over the redirect. Let me know (or just tag it with {{db-g6}}). §FreeRangeFrog^croak 01:44, 18 April 2014 (UTC)

Comment Thanks for the comment and offer. He called himself Bert "Yank" Levy. See "Bert "Yank" Levy brochure" (PDF). White Plains, New York: The Redpath Bureau. Retrieved April 16, 2014. While you and I may view this as "noncontroversial" even this modest change has some air of controversy in it. I think we should wait the week and see what the consensus is. Thank you for offering to do the mechanics when we decide to move it. 13:31, 18 April 2014 (UTC)

• Well then, Oppose to your proposed title per WP:MOSTITLE and WP:NICKNAME, no problem moving to Bert Levy. However the important thing here is to get the name right, not argue about whether the nickname should be included in the title. §FreeRangeFrog^croak 18:30, 18 April 2014 (UTC)

• So far, there is an apparent impending consensus that we don't do nicknames. If that is where you are at, the Bert Levy is better than what we've got, because Albert Levy is just plain wrong. After having spent considerable time and effort on this subject, I can't find any WP:RS that uses "Albert". I agree that we should "get this right" and do it once and for all. the redirects for the nickname "Yank" Levy takes care of most of the problems anyway.7&6=thirteen (☎) 18:39, 18 April 2014 (UTC)
• Oppose per WP:NICKNAME ("avoid (for example) adding a nickname, or a contracted version of the original first name(s) in quotes between first and last name"). Bert Levy or Yank Levy would be fine. --BDD (talk) 18:08, 18 April 2014 (UTC)
• Oppose per NICKNAME. No one's common name has ever been something like Bert "Yank" Levy. "Bert 'Yank' and I are going out for a beer later, want to come?" See? Move to either Albert, Bert or Yank, whatever the sources say.  — SMcCandlish ☺ ☏ ¢ ≽^ʌⱷ҅_ᴥⱷ^ʌ≼  09:36, 24 April 2014 (UTC)
• Comment So is it "Yank" Levy or "Bert" Levy. I have not actually done a count, but I think most sources use the former. OTOH, I have no objection to his given name "Bert Levy" and the redirects from "Yank" Levy will take care of the problem. I concede that WP:NICKNAME precludes the use of Bert "Yank" Levy. I would suggest we decide this. Thanks. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 12:52, 24 April 2014 (UTC)
• Comment I see that the American National Biography Online states that the name written on a 1945 transcript of his birth certificate was Isaac Meyer Levy. The ANBO also states that "Wikipedia offers incorrectly that his name at birth was Albert". The ANBO is used as a source in this article- I'm not sure that ANBO is a completely reliable source. The mention of Levy in Robert Emmett Thompson's ANBO entry seems to derive from private correspondence between Thompson and the author of the entry, mentioned in order to link Thompson to the (quote) "guerrilla-warfare guru". I also have the feeling that Levy's ANBO page has changed in the last few days- but I've not been able to access a cached version. Xanthomelanoussprog (talk) 07:55, 25 April 2014 (UTC) (add) The ANBO entry for Levy also refers to a "Sykes-Fairbairn" knife (should be Fairbairn-Sykes). A trivial point, but a mistake that the author shouldn't have made. I've searched the RS noticeboard for anything relating to ANBO, but haven't found anything. Is it reliable? Xanthomelanoussprog (talk) 09:16, 25 April 2014 (UTC)

Comment You will note that we have a wikipedia article on American National Biography, which has a lot of citations. I was not aware of the changes they made — although I did send the author an e-mail noting our enhanced article and the impending name change, and this seems to be his 'reply'. It was the only source I found that directly considered his name. The author Allan Levine of the Levy article is a substantial academic and writer with credentials. He even edited (briefly) his own article on Wikipedia. The new language in the ANB article is "was born Isaac Meyer Levy, according to a 1945 transcript of his Ontario birth certificate (Wikipedia offers incorrectly that his name at birth was Albert)." [Italics are part of the new llanguage, emphasis added.] That being said, all the sources either refer to him as just "Yank" Levy, "Yank" Bert Levy (that the byline on his book) or Bert "Yank" levy. Off hand, Except for wikipedia, there is no source that uses "Albert that I've seen.

The ANB article also added these other revised tidbits: "To recoup the loss of these funds, Levy participated in an armed robbery of an A&P store in Philadelphia in January 1927. The police were notified and Levy and his partners were arrested and sentenced. Despite the fact that this was his only criminal act, Judge Harry McDevitt sentenced him to twenty years in prison. . . . Under the auspices of Wendell Endicott, show magnate (Endicott-Johnson Shoes), a Home Guard School was also established at Sturbridge Village, MA, and Levy was one of its more popular lecturers."

Finally, I would note that in the introduction to the UK edition of Guerrilla Warfare Tom Wintringham only uses the name "Yank" Levy.7&6=thirteen (☎) 11:48, 25 April 2014 (UTC)

• Comment Archive series MS929 reel 140 of the Archives of Ontario has "Isaac Meyer" born to Sam Levy and Sarah Pollock, 5 October 1897 in Wentworth. This appears to be the original register record (not a transcript). I support a rename to Bert Levy, as it seems pretty definite he was never named "Albert". Under what name was he convicted of armed robbery? Xanthomelanoussprog (talk) 14:15, 25 April 2014 (UTC)

• Move to Bert Levy, which already redirects to this article. That's what Google calls him, [1] [2] while Amazon calls him B. Levy, [3] which is consistent. Relisting to allow discussion of this. Andrewa (talk) 06:38, 28 April 2014 (UTC)
  • Or to Yank Levy, see #Alternative proposal below. Andrewa (talk) 18:10, 29 April 2014 (UTC)
• He is referred to as Bert Levy on all documents so far found other than birth registration. These include census of 1920 and 1930, medal roll index, roster of soldiers from Ohio, ship's passenger lists, border crossings from US into Canada, marriage registration. Xanthomelanoussprog (talk) 08:30, 28 April 2014 (UTC)

Thank you! And all note that we're not looking for his official name here, as shown on official documents. That may belong in the article, but even that could be challenged, as appearing only in primary sources (see below) and therefore the result of original research. But that's not our concern here, and IMO there's a lot more latitude for using primary sources in practice than our policy wording currently indicates in theory. Here we're looking for an article name that is recognizable to readers, unambiguous, and consistent with usage in reliable English-language sources (WP:AT of course). His main claim to fame seems to be the book still available from Amazon (new at $240.58, so somebody sure likes it) and listed on Google, which both support Bert Levy. What is there supporting another name? We'd need something like evidence of another common name, or some special naming convention (these are listed at WP:AT) that was relevant. We don't seem to have anything like that. Also note that reliable sources at WP:AT (probably, as again the wording of the policy may not be perfect) means secondary sources. The birth registration is a primary source, as are some other documents considered above. It does count as evidence of what he's likely to be called elsewhere, but there are good reasons for not considering it a show-stopper. Similarly, court records, even if found (see question above), won't be accessible to many readers unless they are, for example, quoted in a published biography (a secondary source), so they won't count for nearly as much as his name as listed on Google and Amazon. Sorry for the long post, but I hope that clarifies my reasoning here. Andrewa (talk) 15:59, 28 April 2014 (UTC)

Not to mention the TIME magazine article which calls him "Yank" Levy. Put text from Time Magazine article on reviewers page. And the Life magazine article. Or "Bert Levy", if you can't abide the nickname, even though he is called that in most of the sources. Isn't there a consensus that we can and should do something. Parenthetically, I asked at the DYK nomination page that this be corrected before the article got promoted. As with my proposed move, the answer was "No." "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink." 7&6=thirteen (☎) 19:09, 28 April 2014 (UTC)

Dunno- various editions of the book seem to use either "Yank" Bert Levy or "Yank" Levy on the cover- both with quotes. The UK Amazon site has several for a penny (2 cents), and a cheese cutter for two quid. Xanthomelanoussprog (talk) 20:43, 28 April 2014 (UTC)

Evidence that He's called that in most of the sources, please? All you have given is the text of this one rather sensational article from Time magazine. The links I provided above list him as Bert Levy or B. Levy, and I'd think that either would trump the Time article. But if you can justify the claim that most of the sources call him Yank, I'd reconsider. No change of vote for now at least. Andrewa (talk) 06:37, 29 April 2014 (UTC)

I'm good with either of those. Or just "Bert Levy" for the official title, with "Yank" Bert in the lead paragraph. I would note that the information we have about him in the Spanish Revolution refers to him as "yank" Levy, and there is even one book that is reproduced on one of the websites. Unfortunately, I don't know the books author or title. he was called "Yank" Levy in the comic book. If there is a policy against having the Nickname in the title, then so be it. Take a look a the list of references, as I took care to record the exact name used in any titles of articles. It makes no great difference, other than having this be "Albert" is an abomination, especially when this is on the main page today! 7&6=thirteen (☎) 20:59, 28 April 2014 (UTC) There are 31 referenced sources in the article, and all you have to do is click on them. And within some of them there are other uncredited sources. That is the evidence. With the exception of Levine, Allan E. "Bert "Yank" Levy". American National Biography on line. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on April 20, 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2014. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; April 21, 2014 suggested (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help) nobody actually discusses his name in any of them. They just use his name without further elaboration. I can write the article and source it, but I am not going to spend that time relisting what is already there. If you choose not to bother reading the articles, you could just read the titles in the referenced sources. If you choose not to read them, I can't make you. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 12:12, 29 April 2014 (UTC)

"Bert "Yank" Levy" (PDF). Redpath Chautauqua Collection (Brochure). White Plains, New York: The Redpath Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 20, 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2014. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; April 21, 2014 suggested (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help) republished at The University Libraries, The University of Iowa is particularly instrucitbve. It is his oswn spekaer brochure. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 12:17, 29 April 2014 (UTC)

scwbb37@yahoo.com (2010). "Jarama 2010". Jarama Battlefield British Section 2010. Archived from the original on April 21, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2014. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; April 22, 2014 suggested (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) refers to him strictly as "yank" Levy, and contains a book that does so, too. IUnfortuantnley, I cna't figure out the author or title of the book. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 12:23, 29 April 2014 (UTC)

Latest version of his book credited to "Yank" Levy. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 12:31, 29 April 2014 (UTC)

"How to be a Guerrilla: 'Yank' Levy preaches the art he has practiced ('Yank' Levy Teaches Guerrilla Fighting)". Life. 13 (7). Photo credits Dmitri Kessel. frontcover; 40–43, 45. August 17, 1942. Retrieved April 22, 2014.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: others (link) 7&6=thirteen (☎) 12:46, 29 April 2014 (UTC)

Calls him "Yank" but sayys his real name is "Bert". "'Yank' Levy Demonstrates How to Kill Quickly, Easy". The Milwaukee Journal. November 30, 1943. Retrieved April 16, 2014. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 13:23, 29 April 2014 (UTC)

Bert "Yank" Levy and just "Yank" Levy. Rae, George Menendez, Pencils (February 1944). "Jewish War Heroes" (Comic book) (1). Canadian Jewish Congress: 3. Archived from the original on April 18, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2014. {{cite journal}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; April 19, 2014 suggested (help); Cite journal requires |journal= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) 7&6=thirteen (☎) 14:21, 29 April 2014 (UTC)

Alternative proposal

OK, I'm no longer confident that Bert Levy is the best title, Yank Levy is the other possibility. Three questions then:

1. Do we have consensus that a move is necessary at all? I think we do above; Any dissent still from that?
2. Do we have consensus that it's between those two names, or do we need to go further into the reasons not to use a longer title? Again, I think we do, and I think it's justified by policy and guidelines including but not only WP:PRECISION; Any dissent from that?
3. Which of the two? At this stage I'm open on this, there has been some good evidence presented for Yank Levy above.

Note that I'm not acting as an admin here, or offering to close the RM. Any editor, involved or not, can make an alternative proposal, and/or attempt to summarise where we are up to. Closing an RM is different, it must be an uninvolved editor, and most often an uninvolved admin. Andrewa (talk) 18:08, 29 April 2014 (UTC)

I agree with all of your points and what you have said. Either of these would work, as there would be a redirect for the other. IMHO, he tended to use "Yank" Levy popularly and as his 'stage name and among friends/associates/fellow soldiers/writers. He would for purposes of interviews and his flyer also mention his proper given name, which usually found its way into the sources. As I don't have a burning preference, I would bow to the consensus that may develop between the two choices. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 18:40, 29 April 2014 (UTC)

Agree that a move from Albert is necessary. Yank Levy might be the best choice. Xanthomelanoussprog (talk) 20:45, 29 April 2014 (UTC)

I'm happy to defer to your judgement on this if we have no dissent, and User:7&6=thirteen seems of the same mind. That's a consensus for Yank Levy so far, as I read it. Andrewa (talk) 08:53, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

Motion I would move that that alternative proposal be adopted, that the article be moved to "Yank" Levy by an uninvolved administrator. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 10:05, 5 May 2014 (UTC)

Yes, but just to clarify, it should be Yank Levy rather than "Yank" Levy (WP:NICKNAME again). --BDD (talk) 17:47, 5 May 2014 (UTC)

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The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

Date format drift

Could somebody fix that with a bot. I managed to miss it up. Thanks.

7&6=thirteen (☎) 22:38, 18 April 2014 (UTC)

 Done Not with a bot, though. Huon (talk) 00:32, 19 April 2014 (UTC)

Did you know nomination

Template:Did you know nominations/Albert Levy (soldier)

Notes on "Yank" Levy

I have some suggestions for further modifications on this article. Here. Feel free to use them. Remember to paraphrase, as those are all direct quotes. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 21:46, 21 April 2014 (UTC)

Suggestions

G'day, in response to the message on my talk page, sorry I don't have the time to get in too deep with that article and have to limit myself to a quick copy edit, I'm afraid. Anyway, I do have a couple of suggestions, though:

• the first sentence of the Military career section says Levy was involved in all wars and insurections between 1911 and 1945, but doesn't really detail anything before 1918. Can it be clarified what wars/insurections he was involved in between 1911 and 1918?;
• there appears to be a sequence error in the Military career section. Paragraph three in the Military career section talks about training in Nova Scotia, England and Egypt and seems to relate to his pre-39th Battalion service, and yet the paragraph before has already moved on from that. I'd suggest rearranging parts of paras 2, 3 and 4 in the Military career section to flow more sequentially.
• "Despite having been deported from the United States in 1933..." this is the first the reader hears about the deportation and it seems to be done in a passive way as it leaves the reader wondering why (they don't get the answer until a number of paragraphs later). I suggest discussing this more directly as it seems pretty significant. For instance, a paragraph the is sequential to the rest of the narrative (this links with my next point below)
• in the lecturing career section, the paragraph that discusses the armed robbery pardon seems a bit out of place, because it introduces information about the robbery for the first time really late in the article. Is there is a way to mention the robbery earlier in the article?
• I suggest breaking up the lecturing career section with another header, perhaps "Later life"
• there are also a number of very short paragraphs in the last part of the Lecturing career section, which I'd suggest trying to merge if possible
• is this a typo?: "See also Battle of the Pips.[18] page 14" (additionally, I'm not sure of the relevance of the link to the Battle of the Pips. The article doesn't seem to mention Levy..."
• if possible I suggest expanding the lead a little further to make it a couple of paragraphs

Anyway, that's it from me. Good work on the article so far, and thanks for your efforts. Good luck with taking the article further. Once you are done, you might consider putting it up for peer review, as that might help generate more suggestions/comments/helpers. Regards, AustralianRupert (talk) 22:09, 21 April 2014 (UTC)

• "He trained in Nova Scotia, England, and Egypt, and was dispatched as an officer as a machine gunner." That's a bit confusing- was he an officer with specialisation in machine guns, or trained as a machine gunner (in which case, it appears, he wouldn't have been an officer). Xanthomelanoussprog (talk) 23:15, 21 April 2014 (UTC)
• My reading of the American National Biography on his combat knife is that he came up with a design, and approached the Case company, who may have turned him down. Xanthomelanoussprog (talk) 07:42, 22 April 2014 (UTC)
• Also from the ANB "Levy was fond of making up stories to enhance his prowess as an adventurer". William E. Fairbairn seems to have had the same tendency! Xanthomelanoussprog (talk) 07:51, 22 April 2014 (UTC)
• For example, "He was captured at the Battle of Jarama where he had manned a heavy machine gun and played a pivotal role in the battle." It appears that at the Battle of Jarama the machine gunners were given the wrong ammunition- they arrived on "Suicide Hill" but were of little use- subsequently 30 of them were captured. If he manned a heavy machine gun and played a pivotal role, he must have been using it as a club. Xanthomelanoussprog (talk) 08:04, 22 April 2014 (UTC)
• Okay, correction- from his own account he was in charge of a two-man mg crew. First one man and then the second were shot dead from behind and to the side of Levy. Levy then realised his position had been outflanked and he was now surrounded; he ran towards the rear but was motioned back into the Republicans' trench by a Nationalist soldier Xanthomelanoussprog (talk) 10:27, 22 April 2014 (UTC)

 Done 7&6=thirteen (☎) 12:21, 22 April 2014 (UTC)

• At a guess, the "Todd Winer" who is mentioned in 2006 as researching a biography is Director of Public Relations, American Jewish Committee. Xanthomelanoussprog (talk) 13:00, 22 April 2014 (UTC)
• Doubtful that Levy suffered the effects of a gas attack in Palestine in 1919- the British used gas against the Turks in 1917 and Iraq (possibly tear gas) in 1920. Can't find any reference to use of gas by the Turks, who were out of Palestine altogether by the end of 1918. Xanthomelanoussprog (talk) 20:45, 25 April 2014 (UTC)
• Levy claimed to have served under a General Gómez in Mexico in 1920. The only General Gómez I can find is General Félix U. Gómez, killed fighting US troops in the Battle of Carrizal in 1916 (there's another prominent Gómez in the Revolution, who was a physician). The claim to have recruited 1,200 Canadians for the Spanish Republicans also doesn't seem to fit the facts (out of a total of 1,500-odd Canadians who fought, it appears (but this is uncertain) that 1,200 were already present in Spain before the Battle of Jarama. Xanthomelanoussprog (talk) 07:47, 26 April 2014 (UTC)
• Just found the marriage record for Bert Levy and Mary Prezenter, 3 January 1921. She was Russian, aged 19. He was a salesman, living in Cuyahogo County, Ohio. His mother's maiden name given as Sarah Pollock. Interestingly, a private family tree gives his name as "Albert (Bert Yank) Levy", but since whoever compiled the tree gives year of birth of Levy's daughter Rose as 1909 (and year of birth of Mary her mother as 1902) I doubt it's got much veracity! So… was he actually in Mexico? Is any of this actually true? The ANBO entry is beginning to seem a bit unreliable. Xanthomelanoussprog (talk) 13:49, 26 April 2014 (UTC)

Great research job. I only dealt with the sources I found. I did find find one that said he was gassed, and it was I who interpolated (a nice word for "guessed") the Mustard gas. So have at it and make the changes. You don't need my approval! 7&6=thirteen (☎) 15:00, 26 April 2014 (UTC)

Thanks! Think the records might however be regarded as primary sources and therefore not allowable- secondly I've been "surmising" a bit, such as with the identity of General Gomez. So I'll use my sandbox to try and sort out a possible timeline. Xanthomelanoussprog (talk) 21:37, 26 April 2014 (UTC)

I think primary sources are allowable, albeit we're not supposed to WP:OR. They are still evidence. At a minimum, one could cite them in a note to counteract the other proposition, and with a reference to the primary source. You found it, and it can be cited and should not be ignored. WP: Truth has some application here. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 21:51, 26 April 2014 (UTC)

conflict in sources are common. We have them in this article. For example, there is a difference in opinion as to the sentence Levy received for his Arm Rombbery confviction. Adn trying to sort out his military career is at best murky. I am working on a similar conflict in Speyer wine bottle, even as we write this, 7&6=thirteen (☎) 21:53, 26 April 2014 (UTC)

WP:WPNOTRS comments regarding primary sources "...specific facts may be taken from primary sources, secondary sources that present the same material are preferred. ... All interpretive claims, analyses, or synthetic claims about primary sources must be referenced to a secondary source, rather than original analysis of the primary-source material by Wikipedia editors." So, basically, yes you can take the specific facts of a name from the primary source, but should not make any "interpretive claims, analyses, or synthetic claims". — Makyen (talk) 10:54, 27 April 2014 (UTC)

A date is a specific fact, is it not? A relationship is a specific fact? An event is, too. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 16:00, 27 April 2014 (UTC)

Levy was discharged from the British Army in January 1920, was living in Cuyahogo at the time of the 1920 Census, and married in Cuyahogo in January 1921. So it seems clear he was nowhere near the Mexican Revolution. If he was in Nicaragua in 1926 (as he claimed) he probably was involved with local American support for the Liberals. His conviction for a robbery in Philadelphia in January 1927 seems to me to rule out any connection with Sandino. And as an aside, he claimed that in a fight he carried one knife up his sleeve and another on a lanyard round his neck (a photo of his knife collection shows one on a loop of rope). Pretty awkward positions (the sleeve knife has to be worn upside down, and the lanyard forms a handy noose for your opponent to grab if you're not quick enough getting it over your head). Xanthomelanoussprog (talk) 08:58, 28 April 2014 (UTC)

TIME Magazine article on "Yank" Levy

• Put text from Time Magazine article on reviewers page. Could not e-mail it to them, as that option was not available. I would also like to figure out how to put in the equivalent of a Permalink from the TIME magazine website into the article. I am a subscriber, but I can't figure out the options they present. The options they present are: Facebook Twitter Tumblr LinkedIn StumbleUpon Reddit Digg Mixx Del.i.cious Google+ Reprints. If anyone has insight, I would appreciate it. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 16:54, 27 April 2014 (UTC)

Meanwhile, I have contacted TIME magazine and asked them how to generate a "Permalink" 7&6=thirteen (☎) 17:46, 27 April 2014 (UTC)

W. Garfield Weston

It wasn't George Weston (as stated in ANBO entry for Levy) but Garfield Weston who was responsible for funding the repatriation of Canadian Mac-Pap veterans. George died in 1924. The citation for this info is (according to the Wiki article) "World's baking king now Canada's biggest grocer", Toronto Daily Star, October 4, 1947. Xanthomelanoussprog (talk) 20:34, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

Well done! 7&6=thirteen (☎) 20:37, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

recruits for the spanish civil war...

The article currently asserts that, after he was released from Falangist custody, he was exchanged, and "personally recruited 1,200 volunteers for the Republican cause." To me that implies he recruited 1,200 volunteers who traveled to Spain to fight for the Republicans. Hello. How many Canadians, total, traveled to Spain? The Mackenzie-Papineau unit was only a battalion -- not a brigade.

Levy may have made this assertion, but it shouldn't be reported, as fact. He may have meant he convinced 1,200 individuals to go to Spain, or donate money, or other support that could be done within Canada. I think this assertion should be rewritten. How about replace 1,200 with many? Geo Swan (talk) 22:03, 14 March 2016 (UTC)

That's exactly what the WP:RS says. The test is WP:Verifiability not WP:Truth. In my opinion, I don't see any reason to change it. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 01:17, 15 March 2016 (UTC)

Yeah, but we aren't supposed to repeat dubious claims as if they were fact. Claims, that aren't genuine facts, are supposed to be attributed to whomever made them. If Levy made this claim, this exact claim, then the article should say something like, "upon his return to Canada, Levy recruited support for the Republican cause. He said he recruited 1,200 individuals to the republican cause." If you check the source, again, and decide it really only supports saying he "recruited 1,200 supporters to the Republican cause", then that it what it should say. Geo Swan (talk) 14:55, 17 March 2016 (UTC)

Encyclopedic style

I've tried to give some areas, in particular the "Training officer and Consultant" section, a more encyclopedic and NPOV tone, though I still feel there are some tweaks to be made and other issues with the overabundance of inline quotations and the relevance of some information. I haven't had the chance to go through the sources more thoroughly but hope to give them a look with a view to increasing the general cohesion. Gnomenea (talk) 08:56, 22 November 2023 (UTC)