Lot 20275 – 1905 HISTORICAL LETTER addressed to « Manchuria. Gu

1905 HISTORICAL LETTER addressed to « Manchuria. Gunzhulin (Kungchuling). To the General Staff of the Commander-in-Chief of all the Armed Forces. To the Senior Adjutant of the Intelligence Department, Lt.-Colonel of the General Staff Baron Viteken ». Sent by wounded officer recuperating in St Petersburg voicing his suspicions that the British Military Observer with the Russian forces in Manchuria, Colonel Waters, is spying for the Japanese and wants him placed under surveillance. Following receipt of this letter, the accreditation of Col. Waters was withdrawn and on attempting to return to Manchuria from leave he was stopped at Irkutsk and made to turn back. The envelope bears a St Petersburg cds of 24 4 05 and receipt cds of HEADQUARTERS/FIELD POST OFFICE ‘d’ 29 5 05. Also red crayon « Handed to Lt.-Col….29 V ». Sent post free as soldier’s mail. Wallscourt Walters, who became a Brigadier-General, was Military Attaché in St Petersburg 1893-1898, observer with the Russian Army in Manchuria 1904-05 and chief of the British Military Mission at Russian GHQ in 1916. His book « Secret and Confidential » (1926) describes the Irkutsk incident.