Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Detroit attorney who served in 1918 and 1919 with the 339th U.S. Infantry during the American intervention in Archangel, Russia, the "Polar Bear Expedition." Selections from McKenzie's papers including correspondence, photographs, and other items relating to service in Polar Bear Expedition to northern Russia.

The Walter McKenzie Collection consists largely of materials created as a result of the Japanese War Crimes Trials. The collection has been arranged into eight series: Biographical/Personal; Correspondence; Articles, Speeches, etc.; International Military Tribunal for the Far East, International Prosecution Section; University of Michigan; World War I (Polar Bear Expedition); Miscellaneous; and Photographs. The Walter McKenzie Collection covers many aspects of McKenzie's life in addition to the Polar Bear expedition. The bulk of the collection consists largely of materials created as a result of the Japanese War Crimes Trials. The collection has been arranged into eight series: Biographical/Personal; Correspondence; Articles, Speeches, etc.; International Military Tribunal for the Far East, International Prosecution Section; University of Michigan; World War I (Polar Bear Expedition); Miscellaneous; and Photographs. Only the Polar Bear material and some biographical material has been digitized and can be viewed here. Researchers must visit the library to view the rest of McKenzie's collection. The Polar Bear materials consist of a diary, June 1918-July 1919, describing his voyage to Russia, his stay in a Red Cross Hospital there, routine work at headquarters, life in Archangel, a supply trip up the Dvina River in a gunboat in June 1919, and the voyage home. Also included are correspondence, June 1918-July 1919, describing life at Camp Custer, the voyage to Russia, life in Archangel, civilian conditions there, his ambition to go to the front, and his boat trip up the river. Other materials include ca. 30 picture postcards of Archangel, Murmansk, and countryside scenes, an issue of The Call, an English-language Bolshevik newspaper published in Moscow, a copy of the constitution of the Russian Socialist Federated Soviet Republic, an issue of The Mess Kit and one of the Daily Communique, both published in France for American soldiers, consisting of poems, and miscellaneous programs, clippings, and rosters.

Detroit attorney, assistant U. S. Prosecutor at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East following World War II; correspondence and official court materials largely relating to Japanese intervention in Manchuria; materials relating to service in Polar Expedition to northern Russian during World War I; miscellaneous papers relating to other political and legal activities; and photographs.

The Walter McKenzie Collection consists largely of materials created as a result of the Japanese War Crimes Trials. The collection has been arranged into eight series: Biographical/Personal; Correspondence; Articles, Speeches, etc.; International Military Tribunal for the Far East, International Prosecution Section; University of Michigan; World War I (Polar Bear Expedition); Miscellaneous; and Photographs.

Member of the 339th Infantry, Supply Company who took part in the Polar Bear Expedition in Northern Russia. Photo album contains group and individual portraits of the 339th Infantry Supply Company members, street views of Archangel, Russia, photos of barracks and other structures; newspaper clippings depicting return of the recovered bodies of the fallen Polar Bears Expedition soldiers to Detroit; and several portraits of Walter Smith taken later in his life.

Photo album contains group and individual portraits of the 339th Infantry Supply Company members, street views of Archangel, Russia, photos of barracks and other structures; newspaper clippings depicting return of the recovered bodies of the fallen Polar Bears Expedition soldiers to Detroit; and several portraits of Walter Smith taken later in his life.

Walter C. Matuszewski served as a private in Company G, 339th Infantry, during the American intervention at Archangel, Russia, the "Polar Bear Expedition." Group portrait of Company G, 339th U.S. Infantry taken at Brest, France, June 1919.

This collection contains digital records; the original papers and/or photographs are owned by the donor. The digital items in this collection were digitized from originals by the individual donors before being received by the Bentley Historical Library. Preservation copies of these files with their original file names and CD-ROM file structures intact have been submitted to Deep Blue. Access copies of these digital files can be viewed by clicking on the links next to the individual folders in the Content List below.

In this finding aid, the files have been arranged into one series, Photographs. Within each series, files are listed numerically according to the file arrangement they were given by the donor. The files in this collection are in JPG and TIFF format.

Files include digitized panoramic group photographs of Company G, 339th U.S. Infantry taken at Brest, France, June 1919.

Photographs taken during the Polar Bear Expedition to northern Russia, and accumulated by several veterans; include scenes of American soldiers in camp and on patrol, of life in Archangel and in Russian villages, and of battlefields, fortifications, armored trains, ships, airplanes, burial rites, and graves. Also includes a list of photographs and their captions.

About 185 photographs. The photographs include scenes of life in Archangel, armored trains, villages, port facilities, rural life, men in barracks, fortifications, prisoners, group portraits, men on patrol and in camp, the railroad, an airplane, burials, and graves. Also included is a "List of official U.S. photographs illustrative of the activities of the North Russian Expeditionary Force" which contains descriptions, including names and locations, of ca. 575 Signal Corps photos, arranged by photo number.

Member of 339th U.S. Infantry who was killed during the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1920, the "Polar Bear Expedition." Collection includes a portrait of Jenks.

A portrait of Jenks.

St. Louis, MO native, who served with the 310th Army Engineers during the Allied Intervention in Northern Russia in 1918-1919, also known as the Polar Bear Expedition. The collection includes one oversize photo album and loose photographs documenting Johnson's service and the Polar Bears' military life, the city of Archangel and other locations in Russia; also Johnson's biography, letters, military papers, and ephemera related to the Polar Bear Expedition.

The photo album documents Johnson's experience while serving with the 310th Army Engineers in Northern Russia (primarily Archangel and Solombola) from 1918 to 1919. Photographs depict the exteriors and the interiors of the American army barracks, daily military life, individual and group portraits of American soldiers and officers, and military training. The album also includes scenic views, street scenes, images of religious processions, buildings and churches in Archangel, as well as portraits of the local people. Some photographs depict representatives of the indigenous population of Russian North.

Additional materials, placed in a separate folder, include one small portrait of Johnson in uniform (1917), loose photographs from the Polar Bear Expedition period, his biography, and letters particularly pertaining to his military service. An honorable discharge certificate includes information about Johnson's military rank, medals, time spent as a member of the North Russia Expeditionary Force.

Also included is an application for a Victory Medal and a 1968 The Navy Civil Engineer article by Johnson discussing his second military career during World War II. The folder also contains a hand-drawn sketch of Johnson asking his future wife Dorothy on a date and a photocopy of a letter to Dorothy highlighting a few of his daily military duties and activities.

Member of the U.S. Polar Bear Expedition in Archangel, Russia; collection includes digitized photographs from Decoration Day ceremonies at White Chapel Cemetery in Troy, Mich. and notes from Flack's copy of The History of the American Expedition Fighting the Bolsheviki.

The Robert Bruce Flack papers consist of a two series, Photographs and Annotations.

The Photographs series contains digitized images of Robert Bruce Flack with fellow veterans and family members at Decoration Day events at White Chapel Cemetery in Troy, Mich. in the early 1950s. These include several images of Flack and family members in front of the cemetery's Polar Bear Monument, which was sculpted by Leon Hermant.

The Annotations series contains digital images of notes made by Flack in his copy of The History of the American Expedition Fighting the Bolsheviki (1920). These annotations provide details on Flack's service as a machine gunner on the Kodish and Railroad Fronts from December 1918 through April 1919.

Photographs of memorial ceremonies at the Polar Bear Memorial in White Chapel Memorial Park Cemetery, Troy, Michigan.

The collection contains photographs from unknown sources and includes scenes of the burial of the bodies returned in 1929 and memorial services at the Polar Bear Memorial at White Chapel Memorial Park Cemetery.

Papers of a soldier in the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1919, the "Polar Bear Expedition."

This collection contains digital records; the original papers and/or photographs are owned by the donor. The digital items in this collection were digitized from originals by the individual donors before being received by the Bentley Historical Library. Preservation copies of these files with their original file names and CD-ROM file structures intact have been submitted to Deep Blue. Access copies of these digital files can be viewed by clicking on the links next to the individual folders in the Content List below.

In this finding aid, the files have been arranged into two series, Papers and Photographs. Within each series, files are listed numerically according to the file arrangement they were given by the donor. The files in this collection are in JPG format.

Digitized files include Bandemer's enlistment record from 1917, his honorable discharge from 1919, and a letter citing his promotion to Sergeant dated 1919. Digitized photographs are of individuals and groups, including portraits of Bandemer, a photograph of Polar Bear Expedition medics ca. 1918-1919, also includes photographs of a Polar Bear Expedition reunion.