Nathan Watchman

Alias Original name Notel-Kalman Pelts, changed to Watchman while in Dublin*
Russian spelling Натан Пельц
Born 2.02.1884*
Place Virmenai, Kaunas, Lithuania
Ethnic origin Jewish
Religion Jewish
Father Aurel (Orel) Pelts*
Mother Iudes*
Family

Wife Elsie Florence Watchman (nee Johnston), married 1917 in Victoria; son Phillip Watchman (1919-1969), served in the navy in WWII; daughter Fanny (1921-1922)

Residence before arrival at Australia Visited Dublin
Arrived at Australia from Newcastle upon Tyne, England
on 31.10.1911
per Cassel*
disembarked at Adelaide
Residence before enlistment Adelaide, Melbourne, Geelong, Vic
Occupation 1914 commercial traveller, 1919 draper, 1933 salesman
Naturalisation 1914
Residence after the war 1919 Mildura, 1931 Geelong, 1939 Broken Hill
Died 14.03.1949 at Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital, Melbourne

Service #1 – Depot

Service number 5146
Enlisted 28.09.1914
Place of enlistment Geelong, Victoria
Unit 5th LH Brigade train
Rank Private
Final fate Failed to embark with unit

Service #2

Service number 1881
Enlisted 29.01.1915
Place of enlistment Melbourne
Unit 6th Battalion
Rank Private
Place Gallipoli, 1915
Casualties WIA 1915
Final fate RTA 4.09.1915
Discharged 17.03.1916

Materials

Blog articles

Russian Anzacs blog (Russian)

Russian Anzacs blog (English)

Early Lithuanians in Australia

From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:

About the landing [at Gallipoli] -- no Russian diaries or letters exist to give an account of it. All that remains to tell this story from a Russian perspective is an occasional water-stained pay-book with its ink all smudged, which was in a Russian soldier's pocket at that crucial moment of reaching the shore; or perhaps a brief reference made later in an official application, such as 'I lost all my papers at the landing at Gallipoli' (Nathan Watchman, from Lithuania, a former commercial traveller).

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