Moysey Dossoeff
Alias | Dosoeff |
---|---|
Russian spelling | Моисей Доцоев |
Born | 21.01.1886 |
Place | Ardon, Ossetia, the Caucasus |
Ethnic origin | Ossetian |
Religion | Lutheran (?) |
Father | Asabe Dossoeff |
Residence before arrival at Australia | Served 1 year in the Russian army, fought in Russo-Japanese war with a Cossack regiment |
Arrived at Australia |
on 1913 |
Residence before enlistment | Port Pirie, SA |
Occupation | Labourer at Broken Hill Pty Works at Port Pirie |
Naturalisation | Served as Russian subject |
Residence after the war | Adelaide, Port Pirie, Melbourne; 1919 permitted to return to Vladivostok |
Service #1
Service number | 2189 |
---|---|
Enlisted | 4.05.1916 |
Place of enlistment | Adelaide |
Unit | 4th MG Company, 13th Light Horse Regiment |
Rank | Private, Trooper |
Place | England, 1917 |
Final fate | RTA 27.09.1917 |
Discharged | 29.01.1918 MU |
Materials
Digitised service records (NAA)
Digitised Embarkation roll entry (AWM)
Army pay file (NAA)
Privates MOYSEY DOSSOEFF & Otto Abram RAISANEN: Russian subjects in the Army (NAA)
Alien registration 1 2 (NAA)
Personal case file (NAA)
Blog article
Publications
Елена Говор, Осетинские анзаки. - Северная Осетия, 14 сентября 2007.
Newspaper articles
Russian Citizens' Association. - Daily Herald, Adelaide, 19 February 1918, p. 2.
Wages claim. - Daily Herald, Adelaide, 3 June 1920, p. 4.
From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:
An over-suspicious attitude on the part of one was often counterbalanced by commonsense from others. In August 1916 Major Hogan, from [...] machine-gun depot at Seymour, reported about Dossoeff and Raisanen, two privates in his unit who 'are supposed to be Russian subjects ... These men simultaneously asking for transfer from Machine Guns to Artillery and Light Horse struck me as being peculiar, and I thought possibly they may be Enemy Agents.' He added, probably feeling he was making too much of it, 'I forward this information for what it worth'. The Intelligence officer who had to deal with this 'information' did not seem particularly concerned about them: 'The fact that both of them applied for a move at the same time would not mean anything as they evidently talked the matter over together and both came to the same conclusion'. The irony of this situation was that any contact between them would be highly unlikely: one, the smelter-man Moysey Dossoeff, was an Ossetian from the Caucasus; the other was a Finn, Otto Abram Raisanen, a former butcher who had enlisted just three days after his arrival in the country. Dossoeff's file adds some more detail to the range of attitudes experienced by the Russians. In his application to be transferred from the machine-guns to the Light Horse Dossoeff argued that, while his limited knowledge of English prevented him from mastering machine-gunnery, he was 'a very good horse-man', having served 'through the Russo-Japanese war with a Cossack regiment'. The commander of his company wrote on his application 'Forwarded and strongly recommended. One of my best men but handicapped in MG work because of poor knowledge of language.' Dossoeff was then transferred to the Light Horse, only to be later discharged with remark, 'Deficient mentality'.