Person

Bartroli, Tomas

[20--]

Tomas Bartroli was one of the first scholars to extensively research and write about the early Spanish presence and settlement in British Columbia. Born in Spain, he fled the country during the Spanish Civil War, spending time in an internment camp in France. Bartroli earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario in 1954 and started as an instructor in Spanish at UBC in 1957 in the Department of Romance Studies. He earned his Master of Arts from UBC in 1960 and continued teaching as an Assistant Professor until retiring in 1975.
Bartroli’s master’s thesis focused on the early Spanish expeditions and eventual occupation of Nootka Sound, and he continued to research, write, and speak about this history throughout his career. He contributed articles to BC Historical News and wrote and self-published several books chronicling the history of exploration on Canada’s Pacific Coast. He frequently lectured at UBC events, various organizations, and historical societies across B.C. on topics relating to Spain’s Northwest Coast presence, his experiences in the Spanish Civil War, and contemporary Spanish politics and culture. Bartroli was also an outspoken advocate for developing a reconstructed fort at the site of the former Spanish occupation near Nootka Sound.