Defending the Vologda Railway: The Service of Polar Bear Harold H. Holliday, Company M, 339th Infantry Regiment, North Russian Intervention in WWI

This is a uniform I have had for a while, but it was worth sharing with the world because of something I found in the national archives that really brings this uniform to life. In the past, I’d been able to find a Signal Corps photograph showing Holliday with two other men on patrol in the snow-blanketed woods, clad in white canvas coats and hoods as camouflage to reduce the chance of discovery. This was taken on February 21st, 1919.

After finding this same description in a list of “scenes” in organized reels in the National archives, I found the corresponding reel and realized that there is video of this event! It becomes much clearer that they are carrying Mosin Nagant rifles and wearing M1910 Cartridge belts over their white canvas coats, moving through the woods tactically in their camouflage.

This video is a minute and 6 seconds long, and was part of the “AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES IN NORTHERN RUSSIA” film. Now, finally, something mentioned in a 1919 newspaper article has context:

“He (Holliday) says he has been in several motion pictures taken in Russia, and these are to be shown in the United States so he advises his parents to watch for him in any Russian film.”

It is more than likely that the tactical movement in the video was done for the purpose of looking like a movie, but they likely performed the tasks in the same way they would have on any other patrol.

Harold H. Holiday was born on July 6th, 1891 in St. Louis, Michigan. There are several sources which list his name as Holliday, but the majority list him as Holiday. Of note however is that on findagrave, he is listed as Holiday while his parents & siblings all use Holliday. He was inducted into the draft on May 28th, 1918, being assigned to Company M, 339th Infantry Regiment, 85th Division. He went overseas on July 22nd, 1918. On 30 July 1918, General John J. Pershing, Commander-in-Chief of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) on the Western Front, by order of President Woodrow Wilson, chose the 339th Infantry Regiment, the 1st Battalion of the 310th Engineers, the 337th Field Hospital, and the 337th Ambulance Company, (all from the 85th Division) to form the Murmansk Expedition.

There is another Signal Corps photo that gives great context to the quality of life enjoyed by the men serving in North Russia. The official caption reads: “Cold comfort: Pictured is the headquarters of the 3rd Battalion, housed in a box car on the Verst railroad line to Vologda on November 15, 1918. The 3rd Battalion were engaged on the Vologda Railroad Front continuously since the day they landed. In the picture right to left: Lieut. Lewis Jahns, Adjt., 2nd Lt. Adolph Anselmi, Signal Officer, Lieut. N.C. Hallock, Intelligence Officer; Corpl. C.J. Barnum, Pvt. J.W. Phillips, Pvt. Harold H. Holliday, Sergt. Maj. Ernest Reed”. Holliday is shown having curly hair on the far left corner.

This combined with Holliday being shown clad in white camouflage on patrol may suggest that he was attached to the battalion’s intelligence section.

Next is a photo that is not named to Holliday, but I was able to identify Holliday based on the context clues in the previous photograph. The caption reads: “Recreation time in box car quarters of the American Infantrymen along the Vologda Railway.” Many of the same men from the previous photo are present, including Holliday with his characteristic curly hair, working on his Mosin-Nagant rifle.

On August 27th, 1918, the expedition, 143 officers and 4,344 enlisted men, sailed from Newcastle upon Tyne, England, and arrived Archangel, North Russia, on September 4th.

Men of the 3rd Battalion were engaged with the Bolshevik on the Vologda Railroad front from the day they landed in Archangel. During this period, I believe that Private Holliday was either temporarily transferred to the Battalion Headquarters, or was chosen as part of the 3rd Battalion’s Intelligence section.

Between September 1918 and May 1919 many minor operations took place against the Soviet forces resulting in more than 500 American casualties. Holliday returned with Company M on June 30th, 1919, and was discharged on July 7th, 1919. He was part of the Polar Bear Reunion group for many years. Holliday eventually moved to Carmichael, California, where he passed away on February 28th, 1974, at the age of 82.

The uniform is in severe disrepair, with very heavy mothing especially to the back and the sleeves. It is a private purchase example from NYC, and he pinned US & Infantry Officer’s collar insignia to his collar, likely because the jacket did not have holes for enlisted discs. There is a display tag on the left cuff from the 1960s when it was first used in a museum display, reading “NORTHERN RUSSIA EXPEDITION. This museum is where it sat until recently, and it succumbed heavily to moth damage in that environment. The uniform itself is named on the interior to “HAROLD HOLLIDAY / 339TH INFANTRY / CO. M”.

Thankfully, the patch is still intact with great cross-stitching and only minimal moth-tracking. The two overseas chevrons are in similar shape.

The uniform displays very nicely from the front, and I am very grateful to have been able to save the uniform from patch thieves, so that in turn I was able to uncover this interesting history behind Holliday’s service in North Russia.

Great thanks is again given to the Doughboy Foundation for the opportunity to share Holliday’s story!

Michael R. Santoro is a historic researcher & antiquarian of the First World War. After finishing his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Architecture & Historic Preservation at the University at Buffalo, New York, he spent a year developing a museum in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and another year freelancing research in order to preserve the stories of soldiers long forgotten. He now works full time at International Military Antiques in Gillette, New Jersey as a Historical Research Specialist & Authenticator, preserving countless items & stories across all nations and eras.

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