Australian Armoured Cars ? in Russia WWI

[Tony Walker]

I bought this quite expensive cover several years ago on the description it was an armoured car cover from Russia.  Having at last come to write it up, I have my doubts.
I can find no reference to an Australian armoured car unit in Russia, although Australians were fighting with Locker Lampson's RNAS armoured cars in Galicia at this time.
The red rectangular boxed censor mark on the reverse is present on another cover to Marseilles from Archangel in Russia supposedly an Armoured Car cover, but nothing else to suggest a naval use. I think this may be a generally used mark at Archangel and probably elsewhere, not specifically on AC or even naval mail ?  A similar boxed mark in purple is on a couple of covers FROM the UK to Petrograd, but these were not described as naval.

Having retrieved it from the box I was loathe to put it back for another decade, so wrote it up (see attachment) as an interim measure, hoping to sort it one way or another.....

[Frank Schofield]

Tony
Just received a copy of THE OFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY 1914-1918
Sorry no listing in the index of
Armoured Cars . Galicia.  Locker Lampson.
Just a couple of general notes on Russia

Frank Schofield

[Chris Weddell]

Tony,

      This may be no use at all but I found this in the Brave Report number 17. I thought it might be a lead because of the Queensland address.

ARMSTRONG, John
RNAS. Russian Armoured Car Division. Petty Officer. John
was born on 25/01/1886 to father, William Armstrong (a linen
merchant trading as Wm. Armstrong & Son, Upper Queen
Street, Belfast) and mother Elizabeth. One of nine children -
seven sisters and one brother - at Ballysallagh House,
Clandeboye, Bangor, Co Down. John worked with his father in
the family linen business as a salesman before travelling to
Australia in 1910 where he worked on McConnells Cattle
Station in Queensland. John returned home to Bangor in 1912
and joined the Royal Naval Air Service in March 1915 serving
with No. 15 Squadron in Belgium and France before going to
Russia. John did not join Dunsterforce as his only brother, Billy
(seven years younger than John) had just been killed on
27/12/1917 (age 24) while serving with the 14th Bn Black
Watch in Jerusalem. Son of William Armstrong, Ballysallagh
House, Clandeboye, Co. Down.

This is the web address and you might find it interesting if you have not already seen it.

https://www.royal-naval-association.co.uk/uploads/brave+report+17+russian+acd.pdf

                                            Cheers

                                              Chris.

[Alan Baker]

If this is from a business in Archangel and addressed to the Water Board in Brisbane, is it merely a commercial cover?

[Tony Walker]

Thanks Frank, Chris and Alan

Frank :  I picked up the only reference to Australian troops in Russia from a report written by Locker Lampson in mid 1917 when he described the various units gathered to support Kerensky's offensive in Galicia.  These consisted of Poles, Serbs, Czecho-Slovaks, French aviators, Belgian machine gunners and cars, Australians and two 'Battalions of Death' of Russian soldiers (volunteers) prepared to fight to the death.  It sounds as though the Australians were a small force, probably below the radar of most WWI military reflections

Chris : Thanks for that - hadn't seen it.  Locker Lampson recruited a fair number of Irish for his No 15 Squadron, so this is very relevant.  I'll check out the link - thanks

Alan : I too am coming to the conclusion this Australian cover is indeed a commercial cover - quite interesting if so, but not why I bought it!  The same conclusion can be applied to the Marseilles cover I fear.

Tony