Platon Beloshapka

Alias Platon Beloshapka (1912 shipping records), Plonton Beleshapka (1915 AIF enlistment); Bill Plepnnp & Beloshopri (pencilled) (1915 Bungonia Police); Plation Beloshoplia (1916 Wollongong Police); Bjelaschapka (1916 Russian consul); Platonff Belashopkr (1916 Narrabri Gaol & Holdsworthy internment camp); Platon Michael Beloskapka (1916 Military Intelligence); Belashapka or Platinoff (1916 Liverpool Camp), Platonff Beloshapka (1916 Darlinghurst goal); Plotinoff Beloshapki (1918 Alien registration, Long Bay Penitentiary); Ploton Bloshopka (1919 Alien registration); Bill Paltoniff (1923 Tamworth Police); William Plotonff (1924 Tamworth Police); Platon Belshapka (1927 USA); Pato Beloshapa (1962 death)
Russian spelling Платон Михайлович Белошапка
Born 27.07.1892
Place Kiev, Ukraine
Ethnic origin Ukrainian
Religion Russian Orthodox & Church of England
Father Mikhail Beloshapka
Residence before arrival at Australia Served 1 year and six months in the Russian Army
Arrived at Australia from Far East
on 10.11.1912
per Yawata Maru
disembarked at Brisbane
Residence before enlistment Kiama, Sydney, Bungonia, Goulburn, Wollongong, Narrabri
Occupation Labourer
Naturalisation Served as Russian subject
Residence after the war Wee Waa, Sydney, 1919 Bundaberg, 1923 Gunnedah, 1923 Tamworth, 1924 Glen Innes, Inverell, 1926 Esk, 1927 New Kensington, Pennsylvannia, USA (?), 1930 Brisbane
Died 26 Oct 1962, Rockhampton, Queensland (Pato Beloshapa)

Service #1 – Depot

Service number 483
Enlisted 4.03.1915
Place of enlistment Kiama, NSW (reattested 6.03.1915 Liverpool, NSW)
Unit 19th Battalion
Rank Private
Discharged 1915 unlikely to become an efficient soldier

Materials

Blog article

Russian

English

Newspaper articles

Police courts. - The Brisbane Courier, 28 June 1921, p. 3.

To be cleaned and fed. Out of work Russian gaoled. - Daily Standard, Brisbane, 28 June 1921, p. 3.

A Russian's "Million a day". - The Telegraph, Brisbane, 15 October 1921, p. 2.

A capitalist vagrant. One month's hard labour. - Western Star and Roma Advertiser, 31 May 1922, p. 3.

"I'm A Bolshevik!" Russian scares Glencoe. Barefooted Fowl-Chaser. - The Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser, 15 April 1924 p. 3.

Plotonoff. A thumb-nail history. - The Inverell Times, NSW, 14 October 1924, p. 2.

Serious charge. - The Brisbane Courier, 15 January 1930, p. 24.

Bestial Russian gaoled for six years. - Daily Standard, Brisbane, 28 February 1930, p. 7.

Court of criminal appeal. - The Brisbane Courier, 7 May 1930, p. 16.

From Falling stars: The story of Anzacs from Ukraine:

Platon Beloshapka, born in Kyiv, came to Australia via the Far East. Before that he had served in the Russian Army, though since his service lasted only 18 months it is quite likely that he deserted and chose to try his luck in Australia, like many other Russians and Ukrainians. On 10 November 1912 he disembarked in Brisbane from the Yawata Maru with two dozen of his compatriots, among them two future Anzacs - the Ukrainian Egnaty Sologub and Nicholas Tupikoff, a Russian. According to the AIF attestation papers he was a labourer, and indeed his uneven signature on his application form indicates that his hand was more accustomed to a shovel or an axe than a pen. The signature reads 'Ploton Beloshapka'; the recruiting officer nevertheless recorded his name as Plonton Beleshapka. During the following two decades in Australia, he would accumulate over a dozen different aliases emerging from similar misunderstandings.

The Russian Consul-General Nikolai Abaza and New South Wales Consul T.A. Welch visited him in October 1916 [in detention] to establish his nationality. It was obvious to all that he was Russian and Welch informed the military authorities that 'by the agreement between Russian & British gov[ernment]s this man is due for compulsory enlistment in the AIF' and 'suggested to treat him as a military offender'. Since Beloshapka 'refused to enlist in the AIF if released', the consuls 'refused to give a certificate of nationality' and he was left in detention 'pending proof of his Russian nationality' for several more months.

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