Former item number 2498.

Note on verso: "REVOLUTIONARY VETERAN AT 12 is Ho Ta-ch'ing. this boy-soldier was born in Szechuen at ch'eng Lai'hsien of a poor family, the father being an old-fashioned doctor, who joined the Red Army and was killed. Ho Ta-ch'ing was an apprentice doing craftwork, Hsu Hsiang-ch'ian left Szechuen on the Long March, the boy joined together with hundreds of other children who act as "shao kueis" in the army, or orderlies. When they reached Kansu the Central Government troops under Hu chung-nan attacked and captured 300 prisoners, including 49 "Erh Tung Tuan" or Children's Brigade members. All these 49 children were from Szechuen or Kansu. They were captured in August, 1936, and imprisoned in Sian until the famous Sian Revolt on December 12 when Chang Hsueh-liang arrested Chiang Kai-shek. The tungpei Army under chang Hsueh-liang then released all prisoners, including the 49 Red children on January 1. They gave the children special new tailored soldiers uniforms, wooden guns, and had them in their parade through the Sian streets shouting slogans and singing. One of the children made a speech at the mass meeting. In February these children were sent to Yan'an, the Red capital, in a truck. All the others went to the front, later, Ho Ta-ch'ing told me, but he had a responsible position as messenger in the communications Department when this picture was taken. Photo by Nym Wales, 1937."

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