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Model 1902 Military Serial Number
39721 issued to Frank H. Lowrey carried on the
Siberian Expedition from 1917 - 1920 - In 1916, Frank H. Lowrey was a
railroad engineer in Sioux City, IA and responded to a request by US
President Woodrow Wilson to run the Trans-Siberian Railroad after a new
government was formed in Russia. Control of the railroad meant control of
the only major logistics and communication line in the nation. It also meant
access to massive stockpiles of munitions, food, fuel, coal, and other
supplies. Control of the Trans-Siberian Railroad was critical to the support
of the new pro-western Provisional Government. The United States wanted to
support the new government.
Frank Lowrey, along with several hundred prominent railroad operators and
engineers were selected to form the Russian Railway Service Corps. All the
men were given Army commissions for the essentially non-military project,
but were not really considered part of the regular Army.
He was issued the 1902 Colt as his service firearm while running the
Trans-Siberian Railroad. Pistol is a standard commercial model with
modified Colt hard rubber grips inlaid with the owner's initials on the
right grip and "SIBERIA 1917-20" on the left grip. These grips are
most frequently encountered on Model 1911 pistols that were carried in
Siberia. |