OUR ARMOURED CARS IN RUSSIA

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2961, 27 December 1916, Page 6

OUR ARMOURED CARS IN RUSSIA

A RECORD OF ENDURANCE

The history of tho work of the British armoured-cai- squadrons now operating with the Russian Grand Duke's army, when permitted to be told, will ■show a record of endurance and cheerfulness iu adversity worthy of any section of British, arms (says the "Westminster Gazette" in an issue of September last). Organised and commanded by Commander Oliver Locker-Lamp-son, M.P., tho -unit consists of a largo number of powerful armoured cars and complete equipment. Its hundreds of officers and men include individuals not only from tho United Kingdom, bub from practically all the Dominions. It was not until many months after tho departure of the force from England that any reference to its existence was permitted, and then only_ a brief statement of the King's inspiring farewell message was made. After a further lapse of time news came from tho Arctic ice of a noteworthy message from Commander Locker-Lampson to his men, urging them as the only British troops in a country containing sojne 110 millions , of stranger souls . . . to uphold the honour of all those peoples who make up Greater Britain ... in the duel between rival religions; the age-old contest between the Dominion of Darkness and the Kingdom of Christ. Severe Arctic Hardships, From the outset the unit encountered even greater hardships than their leader led them to .expect. Their journey to the "White Sea was through some of the heaviest gales experienced even in that region, and they reached it only to find that, owing to the ice, they were forced to spend a winter m the Arctic. Nothing daunted, however, with splendid courage they set to work to spend the period of Arctic darkness in preparing forHhe activities of spring. Then, as recently announced, they were able to land their guns, cars, and equipment, and have since crossed European Russia, being welcomed on all sides by the Russian people with the greatest enthusiasm. Several of the officers and men have been decorated by the Tsar for their work m the Arctic, and at last, having crossed the Caucasian mountains in their cars, they are now operating against tho Turks, "vyhom they have routed on more than ono occasion during the past few weeks, m a country presenting appalling diinculties.