Russian AnzacsMatfeus Oleinikoff
| Russian spelling | Матвей Олейников |
|---|---|
| Born | 16.11.1879 |
| Place | Moscow, Russia or Poltava, Ukraine |
| Ethnic origin | Ukrainian |
| Religion | Methodist |
| Family | Wife Daria (Dorris) Oleinikoff (nee Zorya); children: Paul (Pavel), b.1905; Vera, b.1907; Ida, b. 1909; Peter, b. 1910, killed in WWII (all born in Russia), Lucy (Lubov), b. 1912; George, b. 1914; Harry, b. 1916; Eva Jean, b. 1918 (all born in Queensland) |
| Residence before arrival at Australia | Served 1 year in the Russian army (Red Cross ambulance) |
| Arrived at Australia |
from Moscow on 4.09.1912 per Eastern disembarked at Brisbane |
| Residence before enlistment | Cordalba, Qld |
| Occupation | Labourer, 1925 labourer at meatworks |
| Naturalisation | 1915 |
| Residence after the war | Brisbane, 1936 Townsville, 1941 Brisbane |
| Died | 30.12.1944 Wooloongabba, Brisbane, Qld |
Service #1
| Service number | 5650 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted | 10.05.1916 |
| Place of enlistment | Brisbane |
| Unit | 26th Battalion |
| Rank | Private |
| Place | England 1916-1917 |
| Final fate | RTA 21.07.1917 |
| Discharged | 27.10.1917 MU |
Materials
Digitised naturalisation (NAA)
Digitised service records (NAA)
Digitised Embarkation roll entry (AWM)
Repatriation Medical case file (NAA)
Family tree on Ancestry.com
Blog article
Newspaper articles
Cordalba. - Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, 9 August 1916, p. 8.
L. Berk et al., 'Protest by Russian Soldiers'. - Daily Mail, Brisbane, 5 September 1918, p. 8.
Help for Russia. - Daily Standard, Brisbane, 17 May 1922, p. 5.
Through the 'Gabba In Scanty Attire... Russian Romance Crashes. - Truth, Brisbane, 8 February 1925, p. 10.
From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:
About 1912 some ethnic Russian families took up farming land in the sugar-cane area around Cordalba, Queensland. The heads of three of these families were friends and had previously served in the Russian army. Two of them subsequently enlisted in the AIF: 36-year-old Matfeus Oleinikoff (who had eight children), and 33-year-old Feodot Peachenoff (who had one daughter). The third one, Stephen Platonoff, was too old to fight but his two sons Thomas and George enlisted instead.
Gallery
Matfeus Oleinikoff
Queenslander Pictorial, supplement to The Queenslander, 18 November 1916, p. 25
Queenslander Pictorial, supplement to The Queenslander, 27 January 1917, p. 25
