Moisey Kotton
AWM memorial panel 41
Alias Koton; Max Kotton
Russian spelling
Моисей Котон
Born 8.06.1892
Place Kremenchug, Poltava, Ukraine
Ethnic origin Jewish
Religion Church of England & Hebrew
Father Solomon Kotton
Mother Ester Kotton
Arrived at Australia
from Dairen, Korea
on 4.02.1912
per Kumano Maru
disembarked at Brisbane
Residence before enlistment Toowoomba, Drake NSW, Sydney, Naughtons Gap, Millthorpe, NSW
Occupation 1914 labourer, 1916 carter
Service service number 1235
enlisted 26.04.1916
POE Bathurst, NSW
unit LTM Battery, 4th Battalion
rank Private
place Western Front, 1917-1918
final fate KIA 19.09.1918
cemetery 1495 Templeux-le-Guerard British Cemetery, France
Naturalisation 1914
Materials
Digitised naturalisation (NAA) (Koton)
Digitised service records (NAA) (Kotton)
Digitised Embarkation roll entry (AWM)
Roll of Honour (AWM) (Kotton)
Blog article
Newspaper articles
Military camp. - The Bathurst Times, 7 April 1916, p. 4.
Personal. - Leader, Orange, NSW, 1 February 1918, p. 3.
Killed in action. - Leader, Orange, NSW, 2 December 1918, p. 2.
From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:
Fear resonates, too, in the words of Moisey Kotton, a Ukrainian Jewish Anzac who arrived in Australia with other Russian emigrants travelling via the Far East. When applying for naturalisation, he wrote: 'Since I arrived in Australia I lived under the name of Max Kotton. The reason I done so was the fear being send back to Russia: I have not done any crime except leaving the country, which is a crime itself according to the Russian law.' In the end, though, he didn't have to worry about returning: a few months before the armistice he made the supreme sacrifice -- as an Australian, which he had wished to be.