Lot 20057 – 1904 Postcard sent from a recruit stationed at Rae

1904 Postcard sent from a recruit stationed at Raevka, Ufa Guberniya sending greetings to his parents at Troki, Vilna Guberniya handstamped free-frank violet circular cachet: 6th Company of the 18th Rifle regiment, further handstamped alongside violet boxed cachet: FROM THE ACTIVE ARMY/AGAINST JAPAN, no postal markings. Also postcard entitled ‘Our first submarine’. At the outbreak of the war Russia had no submarines or personnel with experience of them. A small vessel named Forel (depicted on the card), said to be of German design, was sent from Europe overland by rail to Vladivostok in October 1904. Submarine construction commenced and more boats were delivered in sections for reassembly at Vladivostok during the following winter. Attempts to form an effective Russian submarine flotilla were unsuccessful.