Russian Flag courtesy of Wikipedia

This post is part of a series of 10 posts about the British Community in Russia. You can read the complete series HERE.

Despite the mass exodus of the British Community in Russia during 1918-1921 a few remained in Russia, they were typically old or too ingrained into the Russian way of life. In 1930 the diplomatic relationship was renewed and Lady Muriel Paget set up a charity with the aim of providing some relief to those remaining of the British Community.

For almost a decade, Paget worked tirelessly to track these individuals down in order to provide some assistance. The government too, had provided assistance, albeit, limited assistance, whereby a small villa was set up outside Leningrad where members of the British community could relax during the summer months.

In 1931 four individuals representing Metropolitan Vickers, who were a British heavy electrical engineering company and founded in 1899 and who traded until 1960, found that they had their four employees arrested by the Russian authorities on suspicion of espionage. This was one of the first trials that took place under Stalin.

Following this, fewer people went to Russia, although some British Communists went to Russia during the 1920-1930’s and a few remained there.

In 1939, war broke out and the identification of those from the British community became almost impossible and that marked the end of the British Community in Russia.

You can read the complete series, of the British Community in Russia HERE.