Thread: Memory Lane (In my own language)

Part 3 - I think this episode is very fun, like a fiction.

Back when Prince Chakrapong Puwanad, by the decision of his father, King Rama V, was sent to further his education in Russia, he did not go alone…




Mr. Poom (to pronounce, make it quick) was born in the year 1883. He was the first student ever who received the King’s Scholarship in the reign of King Rama V.

In 1898, Poom was chosen to accompany the King’s son, Prince Chakrapong to Russian Empire to study in the Military Academic Staff School.

Coming from a well-off family, Poom was not only a good student but also a person with good personality as well as good manners. He was then chosen as an outstanding student by the civil servant selection committee at that time.

In 1897, King Rama V visited Russia and accepted an invitation by Emperor Nicholas II, the last Emperor of All Russia, who was his close friend to send one of the King’s sons to study in Russia under the care of the Emperor himself.


Crown Prince Wachirawut – the future King Rama VI (right)


The King decided to appoint Prince Chakrapong who was at the time studying in England to further his education in Russia.

He also had an idea to select one more student to accompany the Prince. A list of the students which comprised of students from royal families, noble descendants and one outstanding student chosen by the civil servant selection committee which was Poom was submitted. He won.

"…Though not born a noble son, Nai Poom is considered diamond in the rough. He has good manners and is likeable among people. He is also very wise and intelligent…”.

King Rama V answered that

"... Nai Poom would provide a good government service in the future. Also according to my son’s satisfaction, the boys would be happy working together…”

The King also sent Emperor Nicholas II a message to kindly honor Mr. Poom to receive the same education and well-being and everything like his son, Prince Chakrapong, in order to make Mr. Poom the Prince’s true friend in a foreign land and to inspire the Prince more perseverance in his studies.

At the Corps des Pages military academy, in spite of being disadvantaged in language and having to attend various events conducted by the royal court and more, the results of the final exam came out that Prince Chakrapong took the first place and Mr. Poom the second place. The two men then were placed in the rank of lieutenant of the Cavalry Regiment of Hussar.










Lieutenant Poom accompanied Lieutenant Prince Chakrapong to Thailand for the first time in 1903 and entered the service in the Royal Thai Cavalry Regiment, received the rank of captain of the cavalry.

Not long after, the two friends returned to study more in the Russian Empire again to be educated at the Higher Command School and graduated in 1905.




Lt. Poom came back to be active in the Cavalry Regiment of Hussar once again and was awarded the rank of Colonel Poom of the Hussar Cavalry Regiment being famous in the battlefields.




Col. Poom had begun to distance himself from Prince Chakrapong since the Prince courted a Russian lady, Katya. After the Prince married, the two friends parted ways. While the Prince along with his wife coming back to Siam, Col. Poom made a request to stay further in Russia to study French.

In this regard, the Ministry of Defense of Thailand refused. A heated argument occurred and ended up with the detention of Col. Poom within the area of the Royal Thai Embassy in St. Petersburg.

This imprisonment of Col. Poom caused resentment, concerning of dishonoring, to the Cavalry Regiment of Hussar Office so much that a kidnapping of Col. Poom from the embassy was expedited. The action was aggressive that made Col. Poom change his citizenship to become a Russian. This political incident barred him from returning to Siam.

In 1917, the great revolution turned Russia into communism. Many Russian officers were discharged from service. The lower ranking soldiers were allowed to choose their own commanders. Col. Nicholai Poomsky (The Russian name of Poom) was among ones that had been selected.

Due to his loyalty to Emperor Nicholas II, Col. Nicholai Poomsky did not accept this position.

It was told among the little birds that not long before the mass execution, Emperor Nicholas II called him in “This is the matter among the Russians. It does not involve you so, Go!”

The Col. then took an opportunity to escape from Russia to France. There he was known as Mr. Poomsky and found a clerk job at a bank to live by until he met Prince Chakrapong’s son, Prince Chula Chakrapong.




In his search for his father’s best friend, Prince Chula Chakrapong finally found Poom. The man was given a shelter and also assigned a new job to be the secretary of his mother, Katya (his father’s ex-wife, remember?).


Left


After 33 years away from homeland, Col. Nicholai Poomsky returned to Thailand once again excitedly. Prince Chula Chakrapong proposed to change citizenship for him back to Thai once again as Mr. Poom and now with Sakorn as his surname for, since 1916, King Rama VI had enacted a law that required all families to have surnames.

The arrival of Mr. Poom Sakorn was the talk of the town. The Prime Minister invited him to teach at the Command and Staff School with the appointment of Lieutenant Colonel of the Royal Thai Army but he refused.

Later on, he, along with Prince Chula Chakrapong, traveled back to England. The Prince invited the man to stay with him for good at the Tredethy, his residence located in Bodmin (now a country house hotel).




Mr. Poom Sakorn passed away on 20 November 1947 at the age of 64 from a heart attack while Prince Chula Chakrapong, the son of his true friend, was away to America on business. His was buried in a cemetery near the Prince’s residence.




----End of Part 3----

Ps The last part (a spin-off) is coming