Jack Kanaef

Jack Kanaef
Our Queanbeyan 'Boys', Howard & Shearsby, Yass

Alias John; Keneaf, Ivan Karniffe [Korneeff?], Carniffe*; John Kanaof

Russian spelling

Иван Канаев

Born 2.06.1882

Place Moscow, Russia

Ethnic origin Russian

Religion Russian Orthodox

Family

Wife Zillah Kanaef (née Lakovsky) (sister of David Lakovsky and Edward Lakovsky), married 1920, twins Leah & Mischa b. 1922

Residence before arrival at Australia Served in the Russian Army 2 years 8 months, fought at the battle of Mukden (Russo-Japanese war); escaped from political exile to Siberia (information from daughter)

Arrived at Australia
on 10.05.1914

Residence before enlistment Queanbeyan, NSW

Occupation 1915, 1919 electrician

Service
service number 10111
enlisted 1.10.1915
POE Goulburn, NSW
unit 1st Australian Dermatological Hospital, 5th Field Ambulance, 2nd Aust. Division HQs
rank Private
place Western Front, 1916-1917
final fate RTA 22.07.1917
discharged 8.10.1917

Naturalisation Served as Russian subject

Residence after the war Sydney, Canberra, in 1922 went to Fiji, by 1942 New York, USA

Died 2.04.1960 Glen Cove, Nassau, New York, USA

Materials

Digitised service records (NAA)

Digitised Embarkation roll entry (AWM)

G. E Gifford, J.W Naveau and J. Kanaef - Request to use bicycles (digitised file) (NAA)

Application to enlist in the US Army in WWII (Ancestry.com)

* Information from KANAEF, Jack at ACT Memorial

Blog article

Russian

English

Newspaper articles

Off to the War. - Queanbeyan Age and Queanbeyan Observer, 15 October 1915, p. 2

Home from the Front. - Queanbeyan Age and Queanbeyan Observer, 19 October 1917, p. 2

Welcome Home. - Queanbeyan Age and Queanbeyan Observer, 23 October 1917, p. 2

Welcome Home Farewell Social. - Queanbeyan Age and Queanbeyan Observer, 21 May 1918, p. 2

Sydney girl on coral island. - Argus, 4 May 1945, p.8 (WWII service of Leah Kanaef)

From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:

Jack Kanaef had been discharged from the AIF for insufficient English but after the war worked successfully as an electrician, being employed in the Canberra Power House in 1922 and involved in the electrification of the Canberra-Queanbeyan area; in 1923 he went to Fiji to carry out similar work there.

[...] At the dances in the Russian Club in Sydney Jack Kanaef got to know pretty, young Zillah Lakovsky, whom he later married and divorced; two of Zillah's brothers had been in the army, too.