Alexis Kopin, a Polish carpenter, came to Brisbane from the Russian Far East in 1912. He worked in the cane-cutting areas of Central Queensland.
Enlisting in the AIF in Melbourne in June 1917, he was sent to the Machine Gun Company for training. Two months later he asked to be discharged or to be transferred to the infantry, which raised his commanders’ suspicions.
Finally he was discharged, applied for a passport from the Russian consul, and left for Russia in December 1917.
Sven Eugen Carlsson, a Finnish seaman from Helsingfors (Helsinki), came to Australia in December 1916.
Enlisting in the AIF in Melbourne, he served with the 7th Battalion on the Western Front. In April 1918 he was wounded in the head, but recovered and returned to his battalion in August 1918. Two weeks later he was gassed, but survived. He was awarded Bronze Medal for his service.
He was discharged from the army in London in July 1919 and his life after that is unknown.
Alexander Hildon, a Finnish seaman from Oulu, came to Western Australia in about 1909 and worked as a farm hand in the Fremantle area.
Enlisting in the AIF in June 1917, he was allocated to the 2nd Pioneer Battalion, but departed for the front only a year later. He was still in England when the war ended, but he was sent to the Western Front after that.
After the war he lived in Fremantle, working as a labourer.
John Edward Larson, a Finnish seaman from Kotka, came to Western Australia in 1906 and worked in the country as a labourer. He married an Australian girl, Rebecca Mary Beard, and had three children.
Enlisting in the AIF in Perth, he served as a sapper with the 44th Battalion and the 11th Field Company Engineers on the Western Front.
After the war he lived in Fremantle, working as a labourer. He died early, in 1928, leaving 7 young children.
Russian Anzacs