Northern Russia Expeditionary Force Group

[kanemono]

Richard Augustine Cunningham, was born on July 23, 1891 in Lynn, Massachusetts. He graduated with the Class of 1913 from Tufts College, Boston, Massachusetts, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on October 5, 1917 and was sent to Army Medical School in Washington, DC for additional training as an Army Orthopedic Surgeon. He was then processed at Camp Upton for service overseas. Cunningham was sent to England where he served at Base Hospital No. 40, Sarisbury Court, England. He was next assigned to the American Red Cross Military Hospital No. 21, at Paignton, Devon, England. Cunningham then took part in the Allied intervention in Russia with the Northern Russian Expeditionary Force. The intervention brought about the involvement of foreign troops in the Russian Civil War on the side of the White movement. Cunningham was assigned as a Doctor with troops guarding the Murman Railway on the Kola Peninsula. The Murman railway was important because it terminates at Murmansk the only ice-free port on the Kola Peninsula. While the White movement was ultimately defeated, the Allied forces fought notable defensive actions against the Bolsheviks, allowing them to withdraw from Russia in good order. First Lieutenant Richard A. Cunningham, Medical Corps was discharged from Camp Dix, New Jersey on October 9, 1919. Richard Augustine Cunningham died on May 2, 1967 in Brookline, Massachusetts.

 

 

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[BEAST]

Very nice group!

[mccooper]

Very interesting post! Thank you. Here is what I have gathered from the information submitted: he was attached to the North Russia Transportation Corps - NRTC. It was made up of volunteers from the railroad engineers in France, and they were recruited in February/March 1919, and sent to Murmansk to aid the Brits in keeping that rail line open, as it was the connector from year-round open port Murmansk to the Archangel line. The 21st engineers are mentioned as a part of his service, before the ANREF. the 21st Engineers were Light Railway Engineers - that fits. The NRTC was part of the ANREF. His duty dates mesh with theirs, although he left in June, not July, of 1919.

 

The photos shown all come from the NRTC photo album, put together by their historian, Chaplain John Wilson. I have a copy of their unit history, and a digital copy of that photo album. The pix show up in either or both. Cunningham does not show up (at least to these old eyes) in either the 21st of NRTC unit histories, so he must have been TDY to both. what looks like Quonset huts in some pix are the British Nissen huts, which is what the NRTC lived in at Soroka. They also carried the M91 Mosin-Nagant, seen in some photos.

 

Great piece of individual history. Enjoy it - I did! Thanks.

 

mccooper

[mccooper]

By rthe way, the smaller pix are probably his, taken personally or by a friend. The one with the two officers with patches showing - could you share a scan of that alone? Thanks.

 

mccooper

[littlewilly]

Really, really nice grouping! To add to mccooper's information, the M91 Mosin-Nagant was chosen to arm the men with because it was determined it would be easier to get ammunition for them locally rather that trying to supply the men with 30-06 ammo for the Springfield or Enfield rifles carried by the AEF. The Bolshevik forces these men faced were more commonly referred to as "Bolos." MHJ

[siege1863]

My grandfather was an ambulance driver in the 337th Ambulance Company. I seem to recall in the unit photo, while still at Camp Custer in Michigan, they were equipped with Mack "Bulldogs." When the 85th Division was in Britain, and the various units were selected to go to Russia, the ambulances were left behind. They were unsuited for the weather and terrain. Essentially, the men of the Ambulance Company were split up and sent to the numerous fronts to act as combat medics. Depending on the season, they had carts or sleds to transport the wounded and dead. Ponies or reindeer were used to pull them.

 

This young man from the Detroit area could never have imagined he would have such an experience. I know he was proud of his service and the unit. He regularly attended the reunions right up to the time of his death. I would give anything to have just an hour or two to hear and record his stories.

[trenchbuff]

One of the nicest little NR groups I've ever seen! The embroidered patch is stunning! Thank you for posting.

[kanemono]

Thanks for the comments. Here is a high resolution scan of the shoulder patch. It is not clear enough to see any detail. Here is a photo of a group if Italian soldiers. I also thought it interesting that the British bridge guard is armed with a Berthier carbine. There are 64 original photos in the group all of Russia. Cunningham's discharge states that he should receive a Defensive Sector bar rather than a Russia bar because his group saw action against the Red Russians. This group was found in Florida at a Good Will store many years ago.

Dick

[mccooper]

Thanks for the effort - always want to see another walking bear patch photo. Speaking of photos, thought you might like to see a shot of the NRTC photographer, Chaplain John Wilson, armed to the teeth with Mosin-Nagant, Webley and Kodak.

 

mccooper

 

[ScottG]

Very nice pictures and grouping. We have a great NRTC group with summer patched uniform, dog tags, yard long, ship photo etc... at the new Michigan Military Heritage Museum in Grass Lake MI. It belonged to Charles Silas Bidwell of Jackson County MI. He was a member of the 167th Transportation. Scott

[doyler]

Outstanding group Dick.

 

The photos really show how barren bleak an existence it must have been there.

 

Thanks for sharing.