Michael Teodoroff Borisoff, a Karelian from a village north of St Petersburg, came to Australia in 1911, probably as a seaman, and worked as a labourer in Western Australia.
He served on the Western Front with the 51st Battalion. In August 1916 he was severely wounded at Mouquet Farm in his leg, hand, and shoulder. After spending months in hospitals, he returned to Australia. He reenlisted for home service there, but was discharged as medically unfit.
In the early 1920s he set off to Russia to see his family, but was arrested while travelling in Siberia. He survived the ordeal and returned to Australia in 1923, but in the early 1930s he moved to New Zealand and from there travelled to London, probably with the aim of visiting Russia. In 1936 he returned to New Zealand and died in a tragic accident while building Pukerua Road north of Wellington.
John Mineeff, born in Perm, in the Ural Mountains, came to Brisbane in 1910 via the Russian Far East. He worked on the railway construction near Blackbutt and then moved to the Ipswich railway works where he could find application for his profession of iron moulder.
Enlisting in the AIF, he served in the 3rd Artillery Brigade as a gunner and a driver and was returned to Australia in 1918, suffering from shell shock.
After the war he settled in Sydney, married an Australian girl, Annie Emily Rowbotham, and had a large family. His son Alexis was killed near Amiens while serving in the RAAF in 1944.
Thomas Pesmany was born in Glukhov in Chernigov Province in Ukraine. He came to Brisbane in 1911 from the Russian Far East and worked as a labourer and cook.
He served on the Western Front in the Field Ambulance.
Martin Johnson, an Estonian seaman from Revel (Tallinn) came to Australia in 1907 and was sailing on local vessels.
He served with the 53rd Battalion on the Western Front, attaining the rank of Lance Corporal. He was wounded in the neck at the battle for Perrone in September 1918 and evacuated to Australia.
Russian Anzacs