Joe Felipor

Alias Fielipov (signature); Joseph Felipoe (pension), Felipov (court martial)
Russian spelling Иосиф Филиппов
Born 1888
Place Odessa, Ukraine
Ethnic origin Russian
Residence before arrival at Australia Served in the Russian forces during Balkan War
Residence before enlistment Meekathara, Peak Hill, Day Dawn, WA
Occupation 1916 miner, 1924 engineer
Naturalisation Served as Russian subject
Residence after the war 1920 Perth, 1923 Bruce Rock, WA; 1924 sailed from Fremantle to London and back

Service #1

Service number 4326
Enlisted 9.03.1916
Place of enlistment Blackboy Hill, WA
Unit 6th Tunnelling Company, 3rd Tunnelling Company
Rank Sapper
Place Western Front, 1916
Casualties WIA 1916
Final fate RTA 26.09.1917
Discharged 5.02.1918

Materials

Blog article

Russian

English

Newspaper articles

A shooting affray as Peak Hill. - Meekatharra Miner, 11 December 1915, p. 2.

Shooting with intent at Peak Hill. - Meekatharra Miner, 29 January 1916, p. 2.

General news. - Meekatharra Miner, 26 February 1916, p. 2.

Felipov's felt. - The Daily News (Perth, WA), 9 March 1916, p. 5.

A cool change. - The West Australian, 10 March 1916, p. 8.

Perth Police Court. - The West Australian, 15 May 1920, p. 8.

Bruce Rock Police Court. - Great Southern Leader, Pingelly, WA, 20 April 1923, p. 5.

From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:

Joe Felipov (his name was mis-spelt as Felipor) came from Odessa and had previously served in the Russian army during the Balkan war; he came to Belgium with a tunnelling company. Although he was a miner when he enlisted, the tattoos on his body -- a tree, a flower and a bee, a sailor on a monument, an anchor over a life-buoy, a cross, a windmill, an automatic revolver -- told a story of previous adventures. On the fateful day he was in a party of 12, in charge of Sapper W. Monaghan, marching to Reninghelst, near Ypres, when they stopped at a halfway point for a drink in an estaminet. Later, under cross-examination, members of the party testified to drinking there: 'I had had about 5 glasses of beer. ... I was not drunk. Sapper Monaghan had had the same amount of drink but was not drunk.' Felipov did not drink with the men, as he had no money. Finally, they came out and, Felipov testified: Monaghan 'said "I am Officer this time, all follow me in single file". Then Sapper Monaghan suggested that they should all have another drink before moving off, but I refused and said I would go and report myself. I then started to walk away when he called out "Halt! Bloody Russian you should be with us all in here."' Monaghan ran after Felipov and hit him, trying to take his rifle off him. Felipov, who said, 'I was besides myself with pain', hit Monaghan with a bayonet, as a consequence of which he was tried. Although Monaghan's mates tried to cover up what happened -- 'Sapper Monaghan did not call accused any names' -- and the court found Felipov guilty and sentenced him to one year's imprisonment, the sentence was not confirmed.

[...] in the final days of 1916, on 29 December, Felipov's left arm was severely wounded, the one with the tattoos of the flower and the bee, and he was evacuated to England [...]

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