Cockney Amongst the Reds

Having been born in Libau Latvia, Emanuel had lived most of his life (from the age of 6 months) in Bethnal Green, London. However, for some mysterious reason his parents did not have him registered as a naturalized English citizen and therefore he was still considered a Latvian (then part of the Russian empire).

In World War 1 (1917) the British Government offered young Russian Émigrés the option of enlisting in the British Army - or in the Russian army (then a British ally). Many of these émigrés had been brought up on healthy diet of mother Russia’s greatness and they opted to enlist in the Russian army. My grandfather was one of these.

That is how he came to find himself at a time of turmoil in Russia under the shaky premiership of Kerensky whose government subsequently falls to the Bolsheviks and Communism. Emmanuel becomes stranded in Russia with no money, no contacts and no way back to England.

So this is his story of adventure, hardship, intrigue and love. And how he eventually married a lovely Jewish girl and how as a stowaway, he finally made his way back to London only to be told he had no right to be there. He was given two ways out, either to return to Latvia (who considered him a deserter) or to find another country that would accept him within 21 days. This explains how many of us Falksons eventually landed up in South Africa.

As few original copies of A Cockney Among the Reds still exist but because they’re not in good shape I have scanned the entire book and compiled it into a eBook (PDF format).

You’re welcome to have a free read of Emmanuel’s interesting and unusual early life adventure which yours truly highly recommends.

Feel free to register and download. (File size is about 50 megabytes.)

Michael Falkson

New York