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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Russian Expedition


darkisland

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Can anyone give me information on the ships involved with this.

My Great Grandfather was a Master Mariner and he had a hand in shipping the wounded from Archangel to Leith in Scotland on board a P&O Liner.He was 60 years old by this time and I am not sure in what capacity he served.

He was Capt. James Stewart Nicoll. He also served as a "North Sea Pilot" during 1914/18 any information on that would also be very wellcome.

Sid

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Sid

There must have been quite a few ships on that run but...

P&O liner 'Kalyan' was fitted up as a hospital ship. It was iced-up in Archangel over the winter 18/19. 'It was a most useful as an operating theatre and convalescent home for men recovering ...'

Is it the Operation in N Russia or your ancestor that you are researching?

Tony

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While doing some research on my Grandfather, Leonard Rigby, a ships writer on HMS Southampton (then operating out of Rosyth), I came across this sequence of log entries:

23-6-18 (sun) 7.30pm Course and speed as requisite for entering Kola Inlet

24-6-18 (mon) 7.40pm Let go starb’d anchor in 20f’ms at Pechenga

26-6-18 (wed) 6.35am Let go starb’d anchor in 12f’ms at Murmansk

30-6-18 (sun) 6.40am Secured to A1 buoy Scapa Flow

Of course, there is no indication in the log as to why Southampton was there, and I’ve not yet checked to see if she made repeated visits, but I do have a few photographs that suggest my Grandfather got ashore on at least one occasion.

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a ships writer on HMS Southampton

Does this mean a clerk?

Do you think he could actually have written in that log?

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A 'writer' is indeed a clerk (although it can be in various capacities).

He could well have had the job of writing up the official log from watch entries.

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  • 9 months later...

My father Cecil (John) Robinson was in the RAMC aboard the Kaylan when it was iced-in 1918/19 in Archangel. A concert party aboard was called the 'Kalyan Knuts' I have a photo of them.

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Hi

My Grandfather was on this trip as a CPO stoker on board HMS Cochrane, I have some postcards of the shipping, but sadly my scanner has "ceased to be" so can't help much at the moment. Several years ago there was quite a nice website up and running about the expedition, has that gone as well? Gareth

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Hospital Ships and Ambulance Trains by John H Plumridge states " The Kalyan, having been used for troop carrying between England, Egypt and Salonika, was converted into a hospital ship and sailed for North Russia in October 1918. She reached Archangel after a 12 day voyage and on arrival made fast to a birth in the Dvina estuary - remaining there for 8 months.....in April 1919 she returned to Leith in early July"

He also mentions "Braemar Castle went to Murmansk in 1918.....when the campaign ended she was sent to Leith in a convoy. She then went to Archangel and was the last vessel to leave that port when it was evacuated"

Tony

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