The year 1917 saw the Russian Revolution when the Bolsheviks seized power, killed the Royal Family and sent shock waves throughout the world, with many other countries thinking that they too, would be toppled by the Bolshevik menace. This story from the pages of The Salford City Reporter, November 1923 shows that the word Bolshevik still carried a hint of menace and threat. A German registered ship, the S.S. Jacob Schroder sailed into Salford Docks and moored at Nine Dock carrying a cargo of timber from Archangel, Russia on board were a crew of 20 supposed Bolsheviks. They stubbornly refused to help with the unloading of the timber, declaring that they had brought the cargo to it's destination their duty was finished, panic ensued and a way to end this situation was looked for. The Dock authorities made enquiries and it was revealed that when the timber was loaded representatives of the Bolshevik Government hearing that the timber had been felled and transported to the quayside by Bolshevik labour decided that Bolsheviks should see it through to Salford Docks and the German crew were discharged. Now that the voyage had been completed the question arose of what to do with the crew, the Immigration Office said they could not allow them to come ashore, they could only come ashore on the condition they returned to the ship and slept on board, The steamship agents for the S.S. Jacob Schroder made arrangements for the men to be sent back to Russia, messages were sent to Germany to send a new crew over to Salford so they could enable to take it back to it's base. A charabanc was sent to Salford Docks and the crew were loaded aboard en route for Petrograd with a police escort, headed by the formidable Sgt Lamb who was based at the Cross Lane police station and was no shrinking violet. They were taken to London Road Railway Station heading for Fenchurch Street Station and a ship moored at the West India dock were they marched up the gang plank by Salford Constabulary and waved off to Mother Russia. Sadly that isn't the end of this story, Sgt Lamb who was in charge of this operation sadly had a brain seizure and was taken to Poplar Hospital, were he sadly died, the following day an inquest was held by the East London Coroner, Mr Guthrie who returned a verdict of, "Death due to natural causes" Tomorrow I shall tell of the incredible send off that Sgt Lamb received with thousands of people lining the streets of Salford to show their respect for this most well known of Salford's bobbies.
