FROM PRISON TO ARMY.
TKAJNING GAOL BIRDS FOR THE LINE.
AN ARRESTING EXPERIMENT
A special correspondent of the London "Times," writing , from Archangel under date May 13, supplies the following story of an interesting experiment to convert .".he Aiussian hood lum into a respectable, law-abiding citizen. The pity of it is that before the scheme had had a fair chance of succeeding it will be hopelessly wreck ed by the withdrawal of the British Army of Occupation from northern most Russia: — I have just returned from a visit to an institution that owes its inception to the sympathy which General Ironside has shown, from the beginning- of this expedition, towards young Russia. The institution is on the fringe of Archangel A fine example of the wooden buildings that make up this city has been taken over, and therein an attempt is being made to give boys e>. chance to rise out of the chaos and despair in which their fathers find themselves to-day.
General E. Ironside, commanding the Allied forces, has no illusions about the average Russian. He speaks the ■ language perfectly, but he goes deeper, than language in his studies; he seeks to understand the psychology of the native. Only a short while ago we were deplorably lacking in fighting men, and England did not appear to be in any great hurry to send fresh men out. The Bolshevists were well aware of the handicap under which the general was placed, and events might have shaped themselves to the discredit of England if they had s/iown a little more initiative. The general resolved to make soldiers of the best material he could find on the spot, have them trained by British and Russian officers, and stand by the result. The Archangel gaol was full of men and youths. The majority of them were incarcerated because Ih*y were sus pected of Bolshevik tendencies; many of them were undoubtedly scoundrels. The general came to an arrangement with the Russian authorities whereby he was at liberty to visit the prison and select those men who were physically fit and willing to take up arms against the enemies of their country. These men were not coerced in any.way; indeed, the general was almost too British in his fairness. They were told:
"If you have any leanings towards Bolshevism you now have the opportunity to go over to the Bolshevists. We will assist you to cross the lines; afterwards you take yqi r own risks. Against that proposition you have the opportunity of becoming a soldier, of being treated on precisely the same footing as a British soldier — food, clothing, and pay."
To-day w*hat is known as Dyer's Battalion is a fine example of what may be achieved by a Intle boldness These men have been In action, and the . records show that they have fought magnificently." But for the moment I wish to deal with the subject of "Ironside's Battalion," as the school is called.
While going , the rounds of the prison the general made a mental note of the lai'ge number of boys in cua tody there. Their agfs were from 12 to 16, and the crimes of which they were accused ranged from stealing to sniping in the dark. The suggestion was made that these boys might be made into good citizens if British , methods were employed to bring about their reformation. The authorities were only too glad to act upon it, and a large Vuilding was taken on the fringe of the town and converted into a sort of training school. To find the r'ght type of man to run the school was the next task, and the general selected the A.P.M. Lieutenant-Colont!i H. L. Cautley, who has now been relieved of his duties as A-.P.M. so that he may devote his whole time to the runniDg of the school. The Institution is
young—there are aboui 40 boys re ceiving training—but gn there on any afternoon and you.will see little vagabonds hovering- about lie n-roun.iK a waiting , the chanc: , • n asl< tiioir friends all about the routine Finally. Colonel Cautley is approiclunl. and su a new recruit is obtain'-d.
A British li.t'.o.— one uf the <>M iy|><\ whose interest in tlic york is as keen a.s that of the gvneivi!—trains tli. j boys, drills them, and lectures to them, and he has the assistance of two other soldiers. The boys are
put into uniforms, they are taught all the mysteries of keeping- their kit clean and ready for inspection at a. moment's notice. All orders are given in English, and it is amazing , how quickly they as^im : lale the language. Xow and then the corporal will ilJng in a word of Russian, but ] think that is just a little touch of vanity on his part. The boys are given four good imals a day, and they are paid 50 rouble* per month. There is no molly-coildling about the business; they are under the same rules and regulations that govern the life and habits of the British soldier, and there is a splendid atmosphere of health and discipline about the place. The psychology of the Russian •'gamin" is very difficult to eompre hend. Ip his blood there is a peculiar anhnalrlike taint; he is cruel —almost fiendishly cnir , !; in a qxiarrel with a comrade he will have recourse to any weapon that presents itself. Cplpnpl Cautley is removing that taint so far as thjs school is eon c;ernod— voinuving it in the old-fas-hloi.ied typically- Hi-itish manner. To day, in tjie central hall, six of the boys g-ave me n display of boxing-, with the colonel and his n.c.o 's standing- by. They fought splendidly, giving- and taking punishment with the stoicism of old-time pugilists, and when the Inn! ended they shook hands like good little.sports men. ■
1 asked: "What were these youngsters doing in prison? ' 'ml I poiiitec l to one intelligent-looking boy who was buttoning up his turic after having gone three rounds. The answer was startling: 'He was sentenced to death for participation in a .shooting affray in Archangel. .He had been used as a tool by Bolshevists. We managed to get him another chance, and he is likely to pro-o one of our best boys. The little fellow stand ing near him is (or wasj a gambler and a swindler. Yoa may smile, but the youthful vagabond out here is far in advance of the yo'.'lh at Home when it comes to vie? — is of deeper hue. This boy brought his gambler's tricks to the school. Within two hours of the boys receiving their first month's pay he '\ad swindled them of "nearly 300 vou.bles. We took the money from him <md opened a canteen with it."
Smoking is not allowe.i. If a boy is caught with a cigarette in his mouth the cigarette is not snatched from his , lips, and he is not told boys who smoke never attain stature. He is taken into the office, tmd there the corporal fills a corncob pipe witl strong Navy tobacco, and the boy is ordered to smoke. He loses his tasti for cigarettes—and most othe* things. When the boys are ok enough they will be giv*-n the oppor tunity of joining the Slavo-Britisi, Legion, and I should _-.jy that the;v will make very efficient soldiers. This is an effort to convince the ■low-thinking Russian :liat the Allies »re not merely soldiers.
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Bibliographic details
Northern Advocate, 16 August 1919, Page 3
Word Count
1,234FROM PRISON TO ARMY. Northern Advocate, 16 August 1919, Page 3
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