Thomas pile prisoner of war in russia

[Guest]

Thomas pile was my mothers brother the story i was brought up with is he had his legs blown off by a russian  who throw a grenade at him. He was from south wales. The family was living in neath abbey at the start of the first world war.

[corisande]

I think his name was Thomas PYLE, he had DCM and was CH/22549 in 6 RM Battalion

 

He was captured 8 Aug 1919 during the attack on Koikori. He was severely wounded in the action and had his leg amptated

 

Ref "Churchill's Secret War with Lenin"

[corisande]

..... award for gallantry and distinguished service rendered during Military Operations in North Russia. To be dated 20th October, 1919: 

 Awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal.

CH/22549 Pte. T. Pyle, R.M.L.I. (Chatham). For gallant service in North Russia, where he effectively bombed hostile sangars which were holding up the advance. Subsequently as a prisoner of war he showed much determination under very trying conditions.

[corisande]

There is quite a good write up here - click

 

This includes

 

British and Allied prisoners-of-war (including U.S., Canadian, French and Italian troops) taken prisoner by the Red Army were held in Moscow. The Bolsheviks separated the bourgeoisie captives from the proletariat ones; enlisted men from the working classes were treated as POWs, officers and were imprisoned as criminals. Most of the Allied prisoners remained incarcerated until their release in a prisoner exchange in 1920, one of their number, Private Thomas Pyle, Royal Marines had been badly wounded on the battlefield and had a leg amputated by Red Army surgeons whilst a prisoner of war.

[corisande]

And the author of the book I referred to, is Damien Wright who is a member of this forum. In another thread he said

 

The roll appears as an appendix in my book: Churchill's Secret War with Lenin: British and Commonwealth Military intervention in the Russian Civil War 1918-20 (Helion, 2017).

 

I note your username you may be interested in the tale of one Royal Marine POW held in Moscow, Pte. Thomas Pyle (sometimes spelt 'Pile') who was severely wounded in action during the attack on the village of Koikori south of Murmansk on 8th September 1919. He was a platoon scout who had crawled forward to bomb the Red Army positions with Mills bombs but after he was wounded had to be left in front of the enemy positions.

 

His wounds were so bad that his leg had to be amputated by a Soviet doctor. He was held in Moscow as a POW until release in March 1920. In October 1920 he was gazetted for award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal. He is also mentioned on page 211 of Blumberg.

 

Pyle had previously served with 1st RM Bn., Royal Naval Division on the Western Front 1917-18 where he was wounded.

 

There were several other awards gazetted after release in 1920 to servicemen who had been held as POW's in Moscow.

[corisande]

His record of service

Name:	Thomas Pyle
Birth Date:	16 Sep 1895
Enlistment Date:	10 Mar 1919
Division:	Royal Marine Light Infantry: Chatham Division
Register Number:	CH/22549
URL:	http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7813412

[corisande]

His WW1 Record is in FindMyPast - click.

 

And his 1919 re-enlistment

 

On FindMyPast - click

Edited 6 March , 2019 by corisande

[corisande]

Repatriated Aug 1920

 

[corisande]

And eventually found this. There should be fuller accounts available

 

[wrightdw]

Thomas Pile (spelt 'Pyle' on his RM records) was the only Royal Marine to be awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for actions in Russia 1919 and the only Royal Marine to be held POW of the Soviets in Moscow.

 

The story of the mass mutinies in his unit, 6th Royal Marines Battalion, and subsequent Courts Martial of 100 Royal Marines, 13 of whom were sentenced to Death, is another story in itself.

 

[Guest]

 

Photos promised

 

 

Photo success

Tom and florrie