Russian AnzacsVincent Uscinski
| Russian spelling | Викентий Иосифович Ущинский |
|---|---|
| Born | 7.03.1893 |
| Place | Ostrow, Lomza, Poland |
| Ethnic origin | Polish |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Father | Joseph Uscinski |
| Mother | Bronislawa Uscinska (née Siennicka) |
| Family | Siblings Lucina (Lucy) married George Sekachoff; Peter, Alexander, Boleslav (Bob), Stanislaw, Wladislawa (Gladys), Stefan |
| Residence before arrival at Australia | Lived in Harbin with his family |
| Arrived at Australia |
from Manchuria on 30.04.1911 per Nikko Maru disembarked at Brisbane (with mother and siblings) |
| Residence before enlistment | Brisbane |
| Occupation | Signwriter |
| Naturalisation | Served as British subject, applied for naturalisation in 1920 |
| Residence after the war | Brisbane |
| Died | 10.07.1921, Coolangatta, in an accident |
Service #1
| Service number | 3440 (ER); 3462 (NR) |
|---|---|
| Enlisted | 15.05.1917 |
| Place of enlistment | Ipswich, Qld |
| Unit | 41st Battalion |
| Rank | Private |
| Place | Western Front, 1918 |
| Final fate | RTA 14.01.1919 |
| Discharged | 31.03.1919, MU |
Materials
Digitised naturalisation (NAA)
Father's naturalisation (NAA)
Digitised service records (NAA)
Digitised Embarkation roll entry (AWM)
Alien registration (NAA)
Medical case file (NAA)
Family tree on Ancestry.com
Blog article
Newspaper articles
Fatal riding accident. - Week, Brisbane, 15 July 1921, p. 24.
Fatality at Tweed Heads. - Northern Star, Lismore, 16 July 1921, p. 4.
From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:
Joseph Uscinski was one who was so deeply Russianised that he signed his application for Australian naturalisation in Russian, not in Polish. His family had moved from Ostrow (near Lomza, northeast Poland) to Harbin in China, where he worked on the railway and his eight children attended Russian school. In 1911 they migrated from Harbin to Brisbane; there, despite being Polish and Roman Catholic, they kept up their connections with the Russian community, his eldest daughter subsequently marrying a Russian ex-serviceman. Anna Sorensen's response to my questions about her grandfather Joseph is tinged with a grim irony: 'Yes, the family did speak Russian as well as Polish, with Joseph more proficient in Russian than in Polish. His stint in the Russian army had allegedly taught him to swear better than the Russians!'
Gallery
Vincent Uscinski (3rd from the left) with his parents and siblings on the eve of departure to Australia
Courtesy of Uscinski family
Vincent Uscinski
Queenslander Pictorial, supplement to The Queenslander, 3 November 1917, p. 24