Hugo Salmela

Hugo Salmela was one of the Red Guard military leaders in the 1918 Finnish Civil War. He was a saw-mill worker from the town of Kotka in Eastern Finland, without any military background. Salmela was also known as an enthusiastic amateur actor in the local workers' theatre. After the Red Guards were formed in the late 1917, Salmela became the leader of the Kymi Guard.