Russian AnzacsPaul Elias Isaac Finn
| Born | 13.06.1887 |
|---|---|
| Place | Vilna (Vilnius), Lithuania |
| Ethnic origin | Jewish |
| Religion | 1916 Methodist, 1942 Church of England |
| Father | Aaron Harris Finn |
| Mother | Rachel Bernstein |
| Family | Wife Essie Lilias Burnace Crawford, married 1936, Sydney |
| Residence before arrival at Australia | Left Russia in 1907 for Great Britain, lived in Scotland for 3 years and in London |
| Arrived at Australia |
from London on 28.06.1913 per Beltana disembarked at Melbourne |
| Residence before enlistment | Melbourne, Goulburn, Illalong Creek, Sydney, Stockton, Newcastle, NSW |
| Occupation | 1915 fitter's labourer, motor driver, 1919 railway employee, 1942 car driver, fitter, turner, 1956 retired missionary |
| Naturalisation | 1919 |
| Residence after the war | Newcastle, NSW, 1942 The Entrance, NSW |
| Died | 31.05.1956, The Entrance, NSW |
Service #1
| Service number | 1644 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted | 16.02.1916 |
| Place of enlistment | Newcastle |
| Unit | 35th Battalion, 9th LTM Battery |
| Rank | Private |
| Place | Western Front, 1916-1918 |
| Casualties | WIA 1917, 1918 (twice) |
| Final fate | RTA 2.01.1919 |
| Discharged | 13.12.1919 MU |
Service #2 – WWII
| Service number | N106296 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted | 7.01.1941 |
| Place of enlistment | Newcastle, NSW |
| Unit | 8th Garrison Battalion |
| Discharged | 4.03.1942 |
Materials
Digitised naturalisation (NAA)
Digitised WWI service records (NAA)
Digitised Embarkation roll entry (AWM)
WWII service records (NAA)
Blog articles
From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:
For the Russians an added dimension was their feeling of having now earned their right to be sons of Australia -- this place where they had originally landed only by chance. Paul Finn, for instance, who was refused naturalisation before his enlistment, after returning from the war applied for it again. When there was a delay, he wrote an indignant letter to the bureaucrats: 'I have been wounded three times, I have bled and suffered for Australia, and I am still suffering'. And they immediately naturalised him.