WWI a JC Bishop

[Tony Walker]

I continue to be amazed at the ability of you all to run down and identify people from the slimmest of clues, so here is one for you.

I am undertaking a major rewrite of a naval collection to which I have added in recent years, some interesting material.  Attached to this post is a scan (both sides) of a postcard sent from Russia on 3 August 1917, probably from Archangel, at least that's where the postcard depicts - interesting about Solombala I thought, but that's not the query.

The PC has a faint  RFHMS / NCTBR machine cancel dated 24 August 1917, but has not passed through the Russian postal system, probably given direct to someone travelling back by ship to England and posted here.

It will be of great interest to me to know if anyone can identify the writer in respect of his rank etc.  He is Mr JC Bishop writing to his wife in Cornwall.  He may be in the navy, possibly the RNAS Armoured Car Division which was in Russia at that time, down on the southern front, but men were constantly coming and going through Archangel, and later sometimes St Petersburg.

Cheers
Tony

[Peter Harvey]

Hi Tony,

Great card - would be nice to know more about the sender.....I can give you a starter, although I may be wrong:

John Charles Bishop M19948 Joined June 16 demob June 19 Writer 3rd Class from Egloshayle (family came from Wadebridge) in 1891 census born 1889. Can not link to RNAS or Archangel but lets see what others think.

Peter

[Alan Baker]

I have managed to find his service record through Ancestry. He joined in April 1916 as a clerk and after initial training was posted to HMS Iphigenia, an old cruiser based in Dover.

In October 1916, he joined HMS Vindictive, another obsolete cruiser, which was part of the British North Russia Squadron, and remained with the ship until November 1917, when he transferred back to Iphigenia and in January 1918 to HMS Glory, the flagship of the squadron. Thus, at the time the card was written, he was on Vindictive based at Archangel.

His later service was a posting to President VI, which was an accounting base serving the Murmansk tugs. His record has the notation "MTO Russia", which I have not fathomed out. Later, the notation was changed to "Hamburg". He was demobbed in June 1919.

He died in Bodmin in 1973, aged 84.

Interestingly, both Vindictive and Iphigenia took part in the Zeebrugge raid in April 1918, when the latter was sunk as a blockship. Vindictive later met the same fate at Ostend in May 1918. Perhaps there was no call for a Writer, 3rd Class at that time

[Peter Harvey]

Thanks Alan, makes a great write up now and very interesting to see the link to Russia worked out.... I note that on attestation he was posted to Vivid1, I assume this was a training ship and the posting was administrative only.

Pete

[Alan Baker]

According to Wiki, Vivid I was the Seamanship, Signalling and Telegraphy School at Devonport. There were five other bases named Vivid at different locations

This was also listed on his record as the base from which he was demobbed

[Tony Walker]

Hi Alan

That's really great!  Many thanks.

Although Bishop was not in the RNAS Armoured Car Division, his time on Iphigenia and Glory is very relevant as they both contributed to the 'escape' of the Care and Maintenance group left in Russia after the main force left, and Russia capitulated to Germany.

Cheers
Tony

[Alan Baker]

Just to clarify, his name was Joseph Charles, not John. He was obviously known as Charlie

[Nick Colley]

Good work, you two.

Re MTO - a wild guess, but: Murmansk Transport Office?

Are you sure it's an M, Alan?

chrs
N

[Michael Dobbs]

Hi all

Cannot really add anything to this except that if it is MTO I would have though a more generic Motor Transportation Officer  / Motor Transport Officer / Mechanical Transport Officer ?

Mike

[Neil Williams]

Folks

my two-penny worth on the MTO (if it is MTO), is perhaps Maritime (or Murmansk) Theatre of Operations.

Neil W

[Alan Baker]

Could be NTO