His mother was active in the Salvation Army and the suffragette movement, and served time in prison for smashing windows in a London department store during a demonstration.
The younger Swailes played the trombone for the Salvation Army and took courses from the University of Leeds.
During World War I, he worked as a musician at the Opera House in Cork, Ireland, and later for the Australian Navy.
Originally a farmer after moving to Canada, Swailes later became a member of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Hugh Ross and Bernard Naylor.
Swailes was an important organizer for the CCF in this campaign, working with David Lewis and Lloyd Stinson.
Swailes ran for re-election in the Winnipeg Centre constituency, which elected four members via a single transferable ballot.
[1] He finished a surprisingly poor third against Progressive Conservative James Cowan, but was re-elected in the third ward of Winnipeg's City Council in 1963.