World Battlefronts: Jenkins of the Soviets

Soviet Russia is justly proud of its craggy-faced Marshal Semion Timoshenko, but Wales has put in a claim to half of him. One J. John, a schoolteacher of Crewkerne, England, wrote to a North Wales friend that the Marshal's father was really a Welsh technician, Charles Jenkins, who went to Russia 61 years ago with Schoolteacher John's grandfather to work in a factory at what is now Stalino.

"Charles Jenkins," wrote Schoolteacher John, "married a Russian girl and Timoshenko (Timothy Jenkins) is their eldest son. Timo's grandfather was the Rev. Caractacus Jenkins, a fine nonconformist preacher in both English and Welsh . . . and he was also a Welsh bard."

Several facts cast rather heavy doubt on Schoolteacher John's account. Timoshenko is a common Ukrainian name. Stalino, 61 years ago, was. a small town called Youzovka. Marshal Timoshenko, who would seem to have no reason for prevaricating, has always said that his father was a Russian peasant, Konstantin Timoshenko.