The Allied Intervention in North Russia

In October 1917, the Bolsheviks seized power and established the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic. Five months later, they signed a treaty with Germany, which formally ended the war on the Eastern Front. This agreement enabled the German army to redeploy troops to the Western Front, where the depleted British and French forces had yet to receive substantial reinforcement from the United States.

Lenin personally assured the Czechoslovak Legion that, provided they remained neutral and departed Russia, they would be granted safe passage through Siberia to join the Allied forces on the Western Front. However, as the 50,000-strong Legion traveled along the Trans-Siberian Railroad toward Vladivostok, only half managed to arrive before the arrangement collapsed. In May 1918, hostilities broke out between the Legion and the Bolsheviks. Complicating matters further, in April of the same year, German troops landed in Finland, raising Allied concerns that they might attempt to seize the strategic railway between Murmansk and Petrograd, the vital port of Murmansk, and possibly the city of Archangel, which housed a large ammunition depot.

Objectives of the Allied Intervention

Responding to these developments, the British and French governments resolved to launch a military intervention in North Russia with three principal aims:

1. To prevent Allied war materiel stockpiles in Archangel from falling into German or Bolshevik hands.
    
2. To mount an offensive to rescue the stranded Czechoslovak Legion along the Trans-Siberian Railroad and restore the Eastern Front.
    
3. To defeat the Bolshevik army with assistance from the Czechoslovak Legion, thereby expanding anti-communist forces drawn from the local population.
    

After the signing of the armistice, the original objective of re-establishing the Eastern Front became obsolete. Nonetheless, British forces remained in position, now tasked with reinstating a White government and overthrowing the Bolsheviks.

International Participation and Mandates

Facing a shortage of troops, the British and French turned to President Woodrow Wilson of the United States for assistance in what came to be known as the "North Russia campaign" or the "Allied intervention in North Russia." In July 1918, despite advice to the contrary from the US War Department, Wilson approved a limited American involvement, deploying a contingent nicknamed the "Polar Bear Expedition." Wilson gave this force a clear mandate: "to guard military stores which may subsequently be needed by Russian forces and to render such aid as may be acceptable to the Russians in the organisation of their own self-defense."

Changing Priorities and Allied Deliberations

As the Allied governments convened at Versailles in January 1919 to negotiate peace terms with Germany and her allies, events in the Russian Arctic became a distraction and were viewed as significantly less important than the proceedings in France.

The British considered three possible courses of action:

• Withdrawal of all Allied troops and recognition of the Bolshevik regime.

• Launching a full-scale intervention to defeat the Bolsheviks.

• Supporting the White Russians and creating a protective chain of small states along Russia’s western border.

The French, along with Winston Churchill, the British Secretary of State for War, strongly advocated for the complete destruction of Bolshevism. In contrast, President Wilson and Prime Minister Lloyd George favoured a negotiated peace. A full-scale military intervention would require vast resources and manpower capable of operating in harsh arctic conditions, which was unfeasible after years of exhausting warfare and mounting public fatigue.

None of the proposed options secured widespread support. Ultimately, a compromise was reached: all Russian factions would be invited to a conference at the Principo Islands in Turkey, following a ceasefire. If the conference failed, the Allies would withdraw their forces. However, the conference never materialised, and in frustration, the British government resolved to withdraw from North Russia.

The North Russian Relief Force (NRRF)

Following this decision, the British government published "A Collection of Reports on Bolshevism in Russia" detailing alleged Bolshevik atrocities. Churchill, backed by the British press and several Members of Parliament, used these reports to justify the recruitment of the North Russian Relief Force (NRRF), which was intended to support the evacuation of British forces from North Russia. Churchill also considered that the force could serve as an intervention unit if circumstances changed - a phenomenon now known as "mission creep."

Harry volunteered for the NRRF, which included two infantry battalions formed specifically for this purpose: the 45^th and 46^th (Service) Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment). These units were composed entirely of volunteers from various regiments and corps, including soldiers awaiting demobilisation and ex-servicemen re-enlisting for the sense of adventure.

The understrength 45^th Battalion was largely made up of former members of the Australian Imperial Force, many of whom were veterans from the Western Front awaiting transport back to Australia, two of whom were awarded the Victoria Cross during the brief campaign. Harry was assigned to the 46^th Battalion.

Adverts, such as this, appeared in national and local papers at the time.

The story of Harry Driver, his notable actions during the First World War and his untimely death can be read here.

Jeremy Elsworth
(W. 1970-75)

propatria@wrekincollege.com