Churchill's Abandoned Prisoners: The British Soldiers Deceived in the Russian Civil War

Churchill's Secret Prisoners recounts the story of fifteen British soldiers captured during the Russian Civil War. Following the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, an Allied force comprising British, American, French, Czech, Italian, Greek, and Japanese troops was stationed across Russia to support anti-Bolshevik forces. However, Allied powers sent insufficient troops to decisively aid the 'White Russians,' reflecting war-weariness and hesitation about involvement in the conflict. The narrative follows Emmerson MacMillan, an American engineer who joins the British army in 1918 out of loyalty to his Scottish heritage. He trains with the Inns of Court Officer Training Corps and volunteers for service in the Far East. The book documents eighteen months of fighting along the Trans-Siberian Railway, culminating in the Red Army's victory under Trotsky. It covers the two British battalions deployed in the East—the 'Diehards' and 'Tigers'—and examines tensions between Allied powers and the challenges faced by the American Expeditionary Force commander, alongside Red Cross humanitarian efforts. The focus shifts to Emmerson and other select British soldiers ordered to remain and organize refugee evacuation from Omsk in November 1919. After saving thousands of lives, they board the last train before the city falls to the Bolsheviks. Their escape through freezing conditions ends when they are captured in Krasnoyarsk.