FOCUS ON PHILATELY: Postal history 1: a postcard of the "Greycoat" Division (07/04/99)

FOCUS ON PHILATELY

by Ingert Kuzych

Postal history 1: a postcard of the "Greycoat" Division

All of my "Focus on Philately" articles to date have dealt, in one form or another, with Ukrainian stamps. However, most Ukraine philatelists do not restrict themselves to collecting only stamp issues; they frequently also go after examples of what is termed "postal history" by acquiring Ukrainian-related materials from a certain time period or a certain locale. For example, I specialize in the postal history of Lviv and especially like postcards and covers (a cover is an envelope carrying a stamp or stamps that have been canceled; most often it has passed through the mail stream) from the Hapsburg Period of Austrian rule (1772-1918) and the Western Ukrainian National Republic (1918-1919).

For "Focus on Philately" this month and next, I will present two examples of postal history items - one a postcard, the other a cover - that illustrate the tremendous range of materials that can make up postal history. In addition, they will show how a fascinating story, either national or personal, can lie hidden behind a piece of stationery.

For the first example of postal history, we travel back to the spring of 1918. Ukraine had declared its independence on January 22 of that year, but was engaged in a fierce struggle with the Bolsheviks who had occupied large areas of the country. Ukrainian government leaders determined that a separate peace with the Central Powers (Austria-Hungary, Germany, Turkey and Bulgaria) and German military aid were the only hope for survival. On February 9, 1918, the Peace Treaty of Brest-Litovsk between Ukraine and the Central Powers was signed. According to the treaty provisions, as well as some supplementary agreements, both Soviet Russia and the Central Powers recognized Ukraine as a sovereign state. While Russia agreed to conclude a peace treaty with the Ukrainian National Republic and to withdraw pro-Soviet troops from Ukraine, the Central Powers agreed to return Ukrainian prisoners of war (especially numerous in German and Austrian camps) and to equip them for any struggle that might take place with the Bolsheviks.

Two army divisions, nicknamed the Synozhupannyky (Bluecoats) were formed from Ukrainian POWs in Germany. They arrived in Ukraine in March 1918, but were disbanded on April 26-27 in Kovel (present-day Volyn Oblast) and in Kyiv on the eve of the April 29 coup d'état that ushered in the Hetmanate.

Beginning in the latter half of February 1918, another military unit was culled from Ukrainian POWs in Austro-Hungarian camps. Stationed at Volodymyr-Volynskyi (also in present-day Volyn Oblast) it came to be called the Sirozhupannyky (Greycoats) after the color of its uniforms.

Originally, its title was the 1st Kozak-Riflemen Regiment; sometime after May 29 it became the 1st Kozak-Riflemen Division. In late May the size of the regiment was over 3,000 men and one of its units was the 1st Kozak-Riflemen Artillery Squadron. The illustrated postcard bears a violet handstamp of this squadron.

Locating any mail of the Bluecoats or Greycoats is extraordinarily difficult, as a large percentage of the soldiers were illiterate or semi-literate. The illustrated card was sent to Lemberg (Lviv) in late May 1918 by a higher-ranking Ukrainian (not one of the former prisoners) who was transferred to the regiment from some other Austro-Hungarian regiment in order to help form the new division (see Figure 1).

The date stamp is indistinct on the card, and it is difficult to make out any cancel details. However, computer enhancement reveals the cancellation to be from the Austro-Hungarian field post office HP167 (Hungarian Base Post Office No. 167) and to have been mailed on May 26 (see Figure 2).

HP 167 opened in October of 1915 and closed in November of 1918. Probably due to extensive use, the datestamp HP 167 ornaments on either side of the number became disfigured after December 1917; this unique disfiguration is evident on the card. The large cursive initials under "Stril. Koz." are made with a blue pencil and would appear to be a censor marking.

Despite the agreement with the Ukrainian government, Austria-Hungary proved reluctant to turn over the 1st Kozak Division and curtailed the movements of the men from Volodymyr-Volynskyi. Only after lengthy negotiations and unrelenting Ukrainian insistence did the Austrians finally agree to release the division to Ukrainian jurisdiction under a special convention. Interesting details of the formal handover, which took place over a period of days, have been preserved.

Following the inspection of the division at Volodymyr-Volynskyi on August 26, the Ukrainian government appointee Gen. Sokyra Yakhontiv took command. The force consisted of four infantry regiments, machine gun commands, telegraph and construction squadrons, a field ambulance unit, divisional cavalry, and a cannon division and transport; it was made up of 140 officers and 3,300 combat soldiers. On August 27, the day it began transferring to Kyiv, the division took a solemn oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian state and Hetman Pavlo Skoropadsky. On September 1 the division held a formal parade before the hetman in Kyiv; from there it was moved to the Chernihiv region, where it was stationed near Starodub and Konotop.

The following is an excerpt of the description of the parade, which took place on Katerynska Street Square in Kyiv, as reported in Visnyk Polityky, Literatury i Zhyttia, No. 37, p. 514, and quoted in "History of Ukraine 1917-1923" by D. Doroshenko:

"Shortly before 11 a.m. various units of the division briskly drew up at the square in the presence of ... [various German, Austrian, Hungarian and Hetmanate military officials].

"The hetman arrived by car punctually at 11 a.m. As the hetman approached, the soldiers presented arms and the Serdiuk Choir rendered the national anthem. The hetman walked along the front columns of the division and greeted the Kozaks. A prayer service followed during which the division chaplain spoke. The troops then saluted the hetman by smartly executing a ceremonial march-by.

"The hetman thanked the men with the following words: 'I greet you, Kozaks, upon your return from captivity, and happiness touches my innermost soul that God has helped you to return to your fatherland, the Ukrainian state, which has been so impatiently awaiting you. Yours is the 1st Division of the Ukrainian Army, and I sincerely believe that the order I saw in your ranks on parade today will become the basis for the creation of our own mighty Ukrainian army founded on a firm national foundation and upon strict discipline. Pray remember always that upon discipline in our army, as in every army, rests the might and the power of our state. Again I thank you for the disciplined order that I witnessed today in your parade and for your sincere readiness to serve our state to the utmost of your strength. For the glory and prosperity of the Ukrainian state, let's all shout with feeling our Kozak call 'Slava!'_1_

"The hetman's words were greeted with a spontaneous and prolonged storm of 'Slava'..." And so was established Ukraine's first military division of the 20th century.

* * *

Sincerest thanks to Peter Cybaniak for providing me with such fine computer-enhanced copies of this postcard and considerable information about the Greycoats. Chris Ceremuga, John-Paul Himka and Val Zabijaka assisted me in tracking down additional information for this article.

1. "Slava," literally "glory," is an expression used as a shout of joy, triumph or applause, similar to the way "hurrah" is used in English.

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