ABSTRACT
The concept of forming an Anglo-Russian Brigade appealed to the moribund British battalions, for here at last was a platform from which they could give constructive support to the Whites. 'The Hampshire Russian Brigade will be dressed in British uniform, armed with British weapons and drilled in British style with British words of command', wrote Johnson. The Anglo-Russian Brigade could not last. It could never have functioned within a Russian order of battle dependent upon Russian support. The preamble of the message sent to Kolchak on 26 May made it clear that the allies wished 'to restore peace within Russia by enabling the Russian people to resume control of their own affairs through the instrumentality of a freely elected Constituent Assembly'. The British army withdrew from north Russia in September 1919 having been preceded by the Canadians and Americans. The Royal Air Force bombed Tsaritsyn, destined to suffer far greater damage at the hands of Hitler.
