Private Charles Martin, CSEF

[Terry]

I have just begun researching the pair to the Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Force which I acquired some time back, and actually have not received the man's file, but from my preliminary digging I have come up with some basic details.

3328356 Pte.Charles Francis Martin was born in Montreal in 1898, but his family had moved to the US and was living in Georgetown, Connecticut. In the summer of 1918, Martin travelled to Ottawa and enlisted in the 2nd Depot Bn, Eastern Ontario Regiment. It seems odd that he had not joined the US forces at the time.

He was assigned to the 259th Infantry Battalion, part of the 16th Brigade assigned for duty in Siberia. This formation, some 5000 strong, contained a large percentage of conscripts including 705 of the 1083 men of the 259th Bn. Martin left Vancouver on 26 Dec.,1918, some six weeks after the war had ended, on the SS Protesilaus, arriving in Vladivostock on 15 Jan.,1919. The brigade saw no action and the only losses were due to accident or disease. By June the troops were back in Canada.

Soldiers of the CSEF were all awarded the war and victory medals, even apparently some who had been at sea en route to Siberia when the decision was made to end the mission. Medals to the CSEF are highly sought after, one assumes for the "oddity" factor of Siberian service, and certainly not for distinguished service in battle.

[N.S.Regt.]

Terry

I feel the same way about the Siberian force what is the big attraction. I do have a pair to a Nova Scotian and he went over stayed a couple of months and came home nothing out of the ordnary. I am looking for a group to a Nova Scotian that may have served in North Russia Major L.H. MacKenzie who was a former 25th man won his DSO there I believe.

Regards

N.S.Regt.

[PerthHuron]

Well I have a large collection of items to Col L H MacKenzie DSO V