Peter Wiselenski

Alias Pete Wishkenlski (WWI service records)
Russian spelling Петр Адамович Виселенский (Вишневский?)
Born 6.12.1894
Place Slonim, Grodno, Belarus
Ethnic origin Belarusian
Religion Russian Orthodox (WWI); Church of England (WWII)
Father Adam Wiselenski
Family Wife Mary Eliza Revell, married 1919, Melbourne; children Kelvin (Peter Kelvin) b.1922, Margaret b.1928, Phillip Jones b.1930, Pauline b.1932
Residence before arrival at Australia Lived in USA in 1912-1917
Arrived at Australia from USA
on 10.07.1917
per Canadian sailing vessel
disembarked at Brisbane
Residence before enlistment Brisbane
Occupation 1917 labourer, after the war - farmer
Naturalisation 1940
Residence after the war Red Cliffs, Werribee Research Farm, Vic. till 1938; 1942 Swan Reach, Vic
Died 5.07.1974, Melbourne, Vic

Service #1

Service number 7815
Enlisted 17.07.1917
Place of enlistment Brisbane
Unit 2nd Tunnelling Coy
Rank Sapper
Place Western Front, 1918
Final fate RTA 7.02.1919
Discharged 23.04.1919

Service #2 – WWII

Service number V364967
Enlisted 24.03.1942
Place of enlistment Bruthen, Vic.
Unit 13 Bn VDC
Discharged 14.06.1943

Materials

Naturalisation (NAA) (Wiselenski)

Digitised WWI service records (NAA) (Pete Wishkenlski)

Digitised Embarkation roll entry (AWM) (Wishkenlski)

Medical case file (NAA) (Wishkenlski)

Personal case file 1 2 3 (NAA) (Wiselenski)

Digitised WWII service records (NAA) (Wiselenski)

Digitised WWII alien registration (NAA) (Wiselenski)

AWM WWII photos 1 2

Blog article

Russian

English

Publications

Елена Говор, Белорусские Анзаки, Białoruskie Zeszyty Historyczne, 2013, no. 40, c. 53-108. То же: Белорусские Анзаки, Неман, № 4, с. 152-167, № 5, с. 156-173.

From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:

I encountered real vigilance in only a few cases [of Russians' enlistment], of which Pete Wishkenlski from Byelorussia was one. Wishkenlski, enlisting in Brisbane, was singled out from other Russians and compelled to make a statutory declaration: 'My father and mother were born in Russia. I was born in Russia. I am not of German, Austrian, Bulgarian, or Turkish parentage.'

[...] The Russian Anzacs settling down with their farms became part of the last Australian generation to pioneer the land, establishing in the process an intimate connection with the land and its people. They were often few and far between in outback areas: Pete Wishkenlski, for instance, who'd been a tunneller in the army, settled on a returned soldiers' dried-fruits block at Red Cliffs near Mildura (Victoria) and, according to the local policeman, was 'the only Russian in this district'. For local people their only knowledge of Russians would have come from contact with people like Wishkenlski and other similar pioneers spread out all over Australia.

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