SIBERIA

The 37 British War Dead at Vladivostok, and the 13 names on the Vladivostok Memorial, are due to the period of confusion in Siberia which followed the Treaty of Brest Litovsk. The establishment of a Siberian (anti-Bolshevik) Republic in December 1917 (and of other Republics in Siberia a little later) was followed by the march of the Czechoslovak Divisions in the Russian service from Poland Eastwards, and in particular by the arrival of the 2nd Czechoslovak Division at Vladivostok in May 1918. The Japanese Government had sent a small detachment to that port in January, 1918; British and Japanese Marines landed on the 5th April; a British battalion came in June, and another in December, and in October a stronger Canadian force had landed. The autumn fighting went in favour of the Allies and Admiral Koltchak’s Government, but the tide turned in 1919. An official French statement gave the number of troops of nine Allied or Associated nations in Siberia, in March 1919, as nearly 120,000, including 55,000 Czechoslovaks; they were gradually withdrawn. The British and Japanese left in the winter of 1919; Koltchak was finally defeated on the 8th January 1920, at Krasnoyarsk; the Czechoslovaks and an American hospital evacuated Vladivostok in March 1920.

The Siberian Expeditionary Force was mainly Canadian, and it included No.11 Canadian Stationary Hospital and No.16 Canadian Field Ambulance. It left the graves of 15 Canadian soldiers and 13 from the United Kingdom in Churkin Russian Naval Cemetery; those of seven sailors of the Royal Navy, one Marine and one United Kingdom soldier in the Lutheran part of Pokrovskaya Cemetery; and those of ten soldiers from the United Kingdom and three from Canada at other places in Siberia.

CHURKIN RUSSIAN NAVAL CEMETERY, VLADIVOSTOK, on the Churkin peninsula, was used by British, French, American and Czechoslovak troops. The Canadian Government erected a central monument in the British plot; and on this, the VLADIVOSTOK MEMORIAL, are inscribed the names of the 13 British soldiers whose graves are in other parts of Siberia.

1. ANNELLS, C.S.M. Thomas, PW/2618, M.S.M. 25th Bn. Middlesex Regt. Died of sickness 31st July, 1919. Age 31. Son of William Henry and Mary Jane Annells; husband of Edith Rose Annells, of 1, Cypress Cottage, Brasted, Kent. F. 4.

2. BONIFACE, Pte. B., G/39718. 25th Bn. Middlesex Regt. 15th August, 1919. F. 5.

3. BOSTON, Pte. Walter, 3212961. 16th Field Amb. Canadian Army Medical Corps. 16th April, 1919. Age 26. Son of Joseph Boston, of Cochrane, Alberta. B. 10.

4. BUNGAY, Pte. J., 208204. 25th Bn. Middlesex Regt. 9th February, 1919. A. 8.

5. CARTER, Lt. Col. H.F.G., M.C. King’s Own Yorkshire Light Inf. C. 1.

6. CRUSE, Pte. E.J., G/39145. 25th Bn. Middlesex Regt. 29th January, 1919. A. 4.

7. DAVIES, Pte. C., 0884. 1st/9th Bn. Hampshire Regt. 16th March, 1920. E. 1.

8. DODD, Pte. W.E., 2770021. 260th Bn. Canadian Inf. 5th April, 1919. Age 35. Son of William Dodd, and his wife Elizabeth Dunn. B. 9.

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9. ELLIS, Pte. Richard, 39732. 1st/9th Bn. Hampshire Regt. 17th March, 1919. Age 35. Son of Richard Ellis; husband of Rose Ellis, of Miller St., Gilgandra, New South Wales. Australia. B. 6.

10. FELLGER, Pte. R., L/15784. 25th Bn. Middlesex Regt. 2nd July, 1919. F. 1.

11. GILLESPIE, Pte. E., 2770501. 260th Bn. Canadian Inf. 14th March, 1919. B. 8.

12. HENDERSON, Pte. W.J., 2772673. Royal North West Mounted Police. 29th December, 1918. Age 19. Son of William L. and Minnie McCoskery Henderson, of Redcliff, Alberta. A. 1.

13. HIGGINS, Bgir. D., 3209524. 260th Bn. Canadian Inf. 6th March, 1919. B. 2.

14. LARIVIERE, Pte. R.,3091184. 259th Bn. Canadian Inf. 11th March, 1919. B. 4.

15. LEONARD, Pte. F.S., 0953. 1st/9th Bn. Hampshire Regt. 5th February, 1919. Husband of Annie Hinson (formerly Leonard), of 42, Watery Lane, Small Heath, Birmingham. A. 5.

16. McDONALD, Lce. Cpl. J.E., 2769528. 259th Bn. Canadian Inf. 28th February, 1919. B. 3.

17. MANION, Pte. James Floran, 3214452. 260th Bn. Canadian Inf. 22nd February, 1919. Age 17. Son of Michael and Mary Manion, of Otter Valley, Tulameen, British Columbia. A. 7.

18. MARTIN, Pte. A.J., G/39414. 25th Bn. Middlesex Regt. 22nd January, 1919. A. 3.

19. OSOLL, E.V.W. British Military Mission, formerly (684642) 259th Bn. Canadian Inf.

20. SOTHERN, Pte. R., 3348086. 260th Bn. Canadian inf. 4th March, 1919. B. 7.

21. STEPHENSON, Pte. Edwin Howard, 2611974. 11st Stat. Hasp. Canadian Army Medical carps. 24th May, 1919. Age 33. Son of William Howard Stephenson and Caroline Emily Stephenson. of 102, Lottridge St.. Hamilton, Ontario. Born at Tillsonburg, Ontario. B.A. (Western). Priest of Anglican Church. F. 2.

22. THRING, Lt. A.H., 260th Bn. Canadian Inf. 18th March, 1919. C. 2.

23. TONG, Pte. A., G/39726 25th Bn. Middlesex Regt. 17th May, 1919. A. 10.

24. WARD, Pte. Fredric Eaton, 3181048, 20th Coy. Canadian Machine Gun Corps. 2nd March, 1919. Age 24. Son of Mary Frances Ward. of 23, Miller St., Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the late Frederic Ward. B. 1.

25. WELLS, Pte. H., G/39750. 25th Bn. Middlesex Regt. 8th February. 1919. A. 6.

26. WORTHINGTON, Q.M.S. Ernest. 479930, Canadian Base Depot. Died of pneumonia 6th March, 1919, Age 39. Son of the late Mr. and Mrs. John Worthington, of Croydon, England husband of E.P. Wyllie (formerly Worthington). of 517, Joffre St., Esquimalt, British Columbia. Served in the South African War. B. 5.

27. WRIGLEY, Pte. William, 102791. 25th Bn. Middlesex Regt. 31st August, 1919. Age 38. Husband of Florence Wrigley, of 268, Lee St., Oldham. E. 3.

28. WYNN, Serjt. J.S.M., 2006180. 16th Field Coy. Canadian Engineers. 11th January, 1918. Age 35. Son Joseph and Emily M. Wynn, of 625, Cataract Avenue, Niagara Falls. A. 2.

VLADIVOSTOK MEMORIAL

1. BIDDLE, Pte. Edward, 77103. Base Guard, Canadian Inf. 22nd October, 1915.

2. BURT, Pte. Leonard Robert, 355725. 1st/9th Bn. Hampshire Regt. 29th May, 1919.

3. BUTLER, Rfn. Harold Leo, 2768761. 259th Bn. Canadian Inf. 31st December, 1918.

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4. CROSSLEY, Pte. George W., G/99184. 25th Bn. Middlesex Regt. 17th December, 1918.

5. DIGBY-JONES, Capt. Charles Kenelm. Royal Engineers. 25th September, 1918. Husband of C.J. Digby-Jones.

6. FULLER, Pte. John, TF/208200. 25th Bn. Middlesex Regt. 16th January, 1919. Age 24. Son of Thomas William Fuller, of Rowtown, Ottershaw, Chertsey, Surrey.

7. HARDING, Pte. Charles, G/49205. 25th Bn. Middlesex Regt. 20th November, 1918.

8. KAY, Rfn. Frank Joseph, 3139773. 259th Bn. Canadian Inf. 28th December, 1918.

9. LAWES, Serjt. Charles Albert, 355186. 1st/9th Bn. Hampshire Regt. 28th April, 1919.

10. MAY, Pte. Alfred, 39771. 1st/9th Bn. Hampshire Regt. 19th June, 1919.

11. STEEL, Lt. Col. Edward Anthony, D.S.O. Royal Field Artillery. 14th October, 1919. Age 38. Served in West Africa, 1904-6 (twice Mentioned in Despatches employed with W. African Frontier Force, 1904-8; with Anglo-Belgian Boundary Commission, N. Rhodesia, 1912-14; European War 1914-16 (twice Mentioned in Despatches).

12. TAYLOR, Pte. William Humphrey, 39829. 1st/9th Bn. Hampshire Regt. Drowned 30th July, 1919. Age 35. Son of Henrietta Sophia Taylor, of 150 Wilmot St., Bethnal Green, London, and the late William Taylor.

13. WEBB, Serjt. Samuel James, G/39394. 25th Bn. Middlesex Regt. Died of dysentery 13th September, 1918. Age 42. Husband of Rose Hannah Webb, of Bledington, Kingham, Oxon.

P0KROVSKAYA CEMETERY, VLADIVOSTOK, is in the town. The nine British graves are in the South-East part of the cemetery, in the Lutheran plot.

1. BREWER, A.B. A.E.J., J/51017 (DEV). R.N. H.M.S. “Suffolk.” 5th November, 1918.

2. BRITTON, Sto. 1st Cl. G., K/40777. R.N. H.M.S. “Suffolk.” 14th July, 1918. 1.

3. FORD, The Rev. W.L. Chaplain. R.N. H.M.S. “Suffolk,” 9th May, 1918.

4. HOWARTH, A.B. Thomas, J/20280. (DEV). R.N. H.M.S. “Suffolk.” 29th April, 1918. Age 21. Son of West and MaryAnn Howarth, of 59, Grange Drive, Blackley, Manchester. Born at Moston, Manchester.

5. MANSON, Sto. S., 3567(S). R.N.R. H.M.S. “Kent.” 18th February, 1919. Age 28. Son of William Hugh and Mary Manson; husband of the late Agnes Manson.

6. MARSH, Sto. P.O. H., K/14716. R.N. H.M.S. ”Carlisle.” 22nd October, 1919.

7. REED, Pte. W.H., PO/20028. R.M.L.I. H.M.S. “Carlisle.” 9th September, 1919.

8. SMITH, Ldg. Sto. D.J., 297225. R.N. H.M.S. “Carlisle.” 24th September, 1919. Age 30. Son of David John and Norah Smith; husband of Elizabeth Smith, of 35, old Church Rd., Commercial Rd., Stepney, London.

9. WADE, Pte. E.C., 39623. 25th Bn. Middlese. Regt. 16th September, 1918. Age 22. Son of Mary Ann Wade, of 60, Gorbeck, Coddenham, Suffolk, and the late William Wade.

Reprinted by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Maidenhead

1988

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[1] Officer’s Steward 2nd Class Joseph Ayres L.625

[2] Yeoman of Signals Patrick Casey 227466

[3] Able Seamen Thomas M. Cheeseborough J.85493

[4] Able Seamen Stanley Chisman

[5] Able Seamen Edward H. Coate J.16309

[6] Leading Seamen George Dawes J.12434

[7] Signalmen Thomas W. Farmer J.33401

[8] Able Seamen Leonard Glanville J.90427

[9] Commander Sebald W. B. Green R.N.

[10] Able Seamen Sidney Hill S.S.8798

[11] Leading Seamen Alexander Keith 195605

[12] Able Seamen William G. Leadbetter J.20444

[13] Able Seamen John R. McCoy S.S.7701

[14] Stoker 1st Class John McCrae K.22922

[15] Captain Dugald MacDougall R.A.F.

[16] Acting-Lieutenant Ciril Edward McLaughlin, R.N.

[17] Able Seamen Lancelot W. H. Smith J.14515

[18] Able Seamen Ernest Snellgrove J.43244

[19] Armourer’s Crew Harold Sykes J.55280

[20] Able Seamen Henry Wright J.25323

[21] Aircraftsman 1st Class Henry W. Scudder 227344

Date: 2015-02-03; view: 1361