The_Poppy_March_2012.pdf - The Western Front Association

I forgot to mention that only two boats came down to
Revel (CMBs 88 and 86). The other boat that came broke down
just as she got to the flagship on her way back from Kronstadt.
Then we had a bath and turned in.
Next day we got our engines out and in the afternoon
three of us went with some of the submarine officers for a
picnic on the river. We sailed over to the river and got canoes
at the mouth and went up the river to a place known to them
where we had tea and buttered eggs (eggs and butter are very
cheap at Revel). We started back at 6 thinking we would have
plenty of time to be back by 8 when the Engr. Lt.Com (Yates)
the captain of the other boat (Gordon Steele) and myself had
to dine with Captain Nasmith (Martin Dunbar-Nasmith VC) but
the wind dropped and we had to pull (row) all the way across
arriving at 8pm exactly. It was one wild rush to get changed.
We managed by being only 10 minutes late. We had a very
nice dinner and a quiet evening.
The next day was Sunday (24th August 1919). In the
afternoon I went on the river again. That evening we were
to dine at the English Civil Mission so I thought if I was back
by seven it would be in plenty of time. I arrived back by five
minutes to seven and was told the cars were leaving at seven.
Another rush but I managed it before Capt. Nasmith, who was
also dining there, was ready. We arrived at a very gorgeous flat
that had once belonged to M. Girard, a Baltic Baron.
There then follows a description similar to that of the
Zeebrugge reunion, describing further celebratory dinners
which were mainly characterised by the vast amount of
alcohol consumed ergo.
coastal motor boats
We started off with a sort of strawberry cup and then went
in to dinner where everyone seemed to be constantly filling
your glass with white vodka, red vodka, Rhine wine and
Cognac. Several other N.O.s besides us, but we were given a
central position. One poor grey, or nearly white, headed old
RNVR Lieutenant, had to be taken home at half time, having
lost all interest in proceedings. We CMB people stuck it like
heroes to the last drop.
They also dined our crews in another room. These as they
collapsed were taken home in motor cars. We watched the
mode of procedure of one little hero. He was carried down
to the car as stiff as a poker by six very cheery Estonian sailors
who, when they arrived at the car, immediately dropped him
and fell on top of him.
Next morning I went down to my boat and found one of
the mechanics lying down. I asked him if he felt like work, he
said he did. He got up, seized his cap and fled on deck and
tried to be sick but failed dismally so one of the seamen, not
to be outdone, immediately turned round and was violently
sick over the stern.
After this we lived the life of normal human beings. We
stayed three weeks and returned to Biorko last Sunday (14th
September).
In the autumn of 1919 British forces, including
the monitor HMS Erebus provided gunfire support to
General Yudenich’s White Russian army in its offensive
against Petrograd. The Russians tried to disrupt these
bombardments by laying mines using the Orfey Class
destroyers, Azard, Gavril, Konstantin and Svoboda. Frank’s
CMB was involved in these actions as the CMBs were
stationed so as to be able to rescue the crews of any seaplanes
forced to land whilst spotting for HMS Erebus’ guns, a duty
which meant that Frank, “was ten hours in my boat, soaked
through almost from the start as it was rather rough. The
Bolshies’ shooting was very poor. Our ships were calmly at
anchor bombarding while the Bolshies fired back at them.”
The latter three Russian ships were sunk in a British
minefield on 21st October 1919, during an attempt to defect
to Estonia. The White army’s offensive failed to capture
Petrograd and on 21st February 1920, the Republic of Estonia
and Bolshevist Russia signed the Peace Treaty of Tartu which
recognised Estonian independence. This resulted in British
Naval withdrawal from the Baltic, and Frank’s return to the
UK. n
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