Russian AnzacsPeter John Potter
| Alias | Peter Goncharoff (true name) |
|---|---|
| Russian spelling | Петр Иванович Гончаров |
| Born | 4.06.1886 |
| Place | Saratov, Russia |
| Ethnic origin | Russian |
| Religion | Russian Orthodox |
| Father | John Potter |
| Family | Wife Victoria Potter (née Streeten), married 1917 in England, by 1919 had two children; son John Victor William Potter (1918-1941), KIA during WWII in Giarabub, Libya; son Peter, b. 1919 |
| Arrived at Australia |
from Saratov, Russia on 23.07.1911 per Nikko Maru disembarked at Brisbane |
| Residence before enlistment | Brisbane |
| Occupation | Painter |
| Naturalisation | 1914 |
| Residence after the war | Brisbane, 1939 Merrylands, NSW, 1949 Granville, NSW |
| Died | June 1951, Merrylands, Parramatta, NSW |
Service #1
| Service number | 1642 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted | 7.08.1915 |
| Place of enlistment | Brisbane |
| Unit | 2nd Light Horse Regiment, 12th FAB, 112th Howitzer Battery, Adm. Headquarters |
| Rank | Trooper, Gunner |
| Place | Western Front, 1917-1919 |
| Final fate | RTA 22.12.1919 |
| Discharged | 12.04.1920 |
Materials
Digitised naturalisation (NAA)
Blog article
From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:
Despite his apparently European name, Potter turned out to have been born in Saratov, on the Volga River, and to have been Greek Orthodox. In addition, he gave his postal address as 'c/o Mr Stepanoff, Merivale St, Brisbane', a well-known lodging-house frequented by ethnic Russian émigrés, including many radicals. Taken together, all this provides sufficient grounds for including Potter with the Russians, culturally at least.
Gallery
Peter John Potter
Queenslander Pictorial, supplement to The Queenslander, 4 March 1916, p. 22