Russian AnzacsCentenary Stories
To mark the Centenary of the First World War in 2014-2018, this site, in a weekly post, celebrated the Russian Anzacs who enlisted in the AIF that week.
Hill, Saren, Soderberg, Wirtnen, Baarman, Grusausky
- Victor Hill from Helsingfors (Helsinki) in Finland, came to Australia in 1905 and worked as a mechanic and sleeper cutter in Western Australia.
- He enlisted in the AIF, but was discharged a month later for medical reasons.
- After the war he lived in Western Australia, working as a labourer.
- Olo Yrio Saren from Abo (Turku) in Finland came to Western Australia in 1913 and worked as a wood cutter.
- Enlisting in the AIF, he served with the 11th Battalion on the Western Front. In April 1917 he was wounded in the head at the battle for Bullecourt. He rejoined his battalion and in September 1917 was wounded in the hand at Ypres and repatriated to Australia.
- After the war he moved to the eastern states and died in a traffic accident in Melbourne.
- Elis Edwin Soderberg, a Finnish sailor from Helsingfors (Helsinki), by the time of his enlistment was in Melbourne.
- He enlisted in the AIF in February 1916, but did not serve long.
- After the war he moved to New Zealand, where he married a local girl Esma Beatrice Wigg. They left for the USA, where Elis Edwin continued working as a seaman.
- Frank Werner Wirtnen from Bjorneborg in Finland worked in Queensland as a labourer.
- Enlisting in the AIF, he served with the 49th Battalion on the Western Front until he got sick and was repatriated to Australia with a diagnosis of deafness.
- After the war he left for the USA.
- Albert Rolf Baarman, a carpenter fron Ekenas in Finland, came to South Australia in 1904, moving later to Queensland.
- He served with the 4th Pioneer Battalion on the Western Front.
- After the war he worked as a seaman in Australia, USA and England, returning to Australia in 1944.
- Fridrich Grusausky, a Baltic German from Riga, came to Melbourne in 1911 as a seaman and absconded from his ship. He was followed by his brother Edward Otto who studied in the Australian Missionary College, while Fridrich became an orchadist.
- The first time Friedrich enlisted was in July 1915, but was discharged for medical reasons. Enlisting in February 1916 he was more successful. He served with the 3rd Pioneer Battalion on the Western Front; later he was transferred to the Machine Gun Battalion and wounded in the abdomen in June 1918, but survived and was repatriated to Australia.
- After the war he changed his name to Frederick Russell, married an Australian girl, Lillias Amelia Frase, and worked as a hotel keeper in Anglesea, Victoria.
Corby, Gerk, Zbecovsky, Kler, Persin
- Victor Corby, a Finn from Nakkila, was in Cootamundra by the time of his enlistment in the AIF.
- He served with the 13th Battalion on the Western Front. In February 1917 he was awarded the Military Medal for his courage during the battle for Gueudecourt when, working as streatcher bearer, he made nine trips to the front lines under heavy fire to rescue his wounded mates. In April 1917, at a battle near Louverval, he was wounded in the leg; he also experienced mental illness and was repatriated to Australia.
- After the war he went back to his native Nakkila in Finland.
- Charles Gerk, a Latvian seaman from Riga, came to Australia in 1910 and lived in Sydney.
- Enlisting in the AIF, he served with the 1st Pioneer Battalion on the Western Front.
- After the war he married an Australian girl, Margaret Annie Colbert, and continued his occupation as a seaman.
- Boleslav Zbecovsky, a Belarusian from Brest, came to Brisbane in 1913 via the Russian Far East and lived in Queensland.
- He enlisted in the AIF, but was discharged soon after that. His service records have not been found.
- After his discharge he continued working as a labourer in Queensland.
- Emil Kler, from Piotrkow Province in Poland, was probably of German ethnic origin. He came to Melbourne in 1913 and worked as a farm labourer in Victoria.
- Enlisting in the AIF, he served with the 37th Battalion on the Western Front. In September 1918 he was severely gassed and repatriated to Australia.
- After the war he was farming in Loch near Kernot in Victoria.
- Michael Persin, a Russian from Tula Province, came to Western Australia in 1912, from where he moved to Victoria and worked as a turner and fitter.
- Enlisting in the AIF, he served with the 59th Battalion on the Western Front. In November 1916, at the battle on Somme, he was wounded in the arm and knee. Recovering in England, he returned to the front and was gassed in March 1918 at Amiens, and then wounded in the left foot in September 1918 at Peronne.
- After the war he married an Australian girl, Alice Stephens. They lived in Melbourne where Michael worked as manufacturer, engineer and tool maker, becoming managing director of M. Persin Ltd, Metal Stumping Manufacturers at Clifton Hill. During WWII he enlisted in the AIF and served in Volunteer Defence Corps. The Persins lost their four year son in 1932, and upon Michael’s death in 1952, he left bequest to the Children’s Hospital and other institutions.
Ten January 1916 enlistees without service records
Since January 1916 the Australian enlisting officers, at the request of the Russian Consul General, Nicholas Abaza, had to send him lists of all Russian subjects accepted for military service. Some of them, although being initially accepted, did not make it to active service abroad and were discharged from the AIF soon after enlistment. In some cases their service records with enlistment details had not been preserved and we have only brief data about them from the lists sent to the consul. In January 1916 there were ten such enlistees without service record files.
- Alexander Allekson enlisted in the AIF in New South Wales. There is no further data about him.
- Karl A. Blomquist was a Finn and enlisted in NSW.
- Theodor Cussoff was probably a Baltic German and enlisted in Victoria.
- John Grinitz enlisted in NSW.
- Otto Kampmann was, probably, a Baltic German from Estonia. He enlisted in the AIF in Victoria.
- Charles Koppel was a seaman from Arensburg (Kuressaare) in Saaremaa Island in Estonia. He arrived at Australia in 1914 and was working on coastal vessels. He enlisted in the AIF in NSW.
- William Lepama was an Estonian seaman from Dago (Hiiumaa) Island. He came to Australia in 1913, enlisted in NSW and left for England in 1921.
- Isaac Micolazyk was probably a Ukrainian. He enlisted in NSW.
- A. Nesterunka was probably Afanacy Nesternko, an engineer from Odessa, who came to Australia in 1911. He enlisted in NSW. In 1917 he was convicted for attempted arson.
- August Veedof was an Estonian seaman, who came to Australia in 1910 and worked in Sydney as seaman and wharf labourer. He enlisted in the AIF in NSW. After the war he moved to England.
- J. Wienburg enlisted in NSW. No data was found about him.
Lear, Tolstoi, Raupak Ropenberg, Shimkovitch
- Guss Oscar Lear, a Finnish sailor from Nystad, by the time of his enlistment in the AIF was in Western Australia.
- Three months after his enlistment in the AIF he was discharged for disciplinary reasons and disappears from the Australian records.
- Andre Tolstoi, a Russian born in Warsaw, grew up in France and ‘served five years in the French Foreign Legion and a dozen scraps in South American republics’. He came to Australia in 1900 and was mining in Boolboonda and then growing sugar cane in Ambrose in Queensland. In 1905 he married Agnes Tucker and had a daughter.
- A month before enlisting in the AIF he published a passionate letter appealing to Australians ‘to defend your country, Humanity and Justice’. He served with the 15th Battalion on the Western Front. In April 1917 he was reported missing in action at Bullecourt.
- His body was never found and wife hoped that he was POW for a long time and sent numerous inquiries. Later he was confirmed to be killed in action.
- John de Raupak Ropenberg, a seaman from Riga in Latvia, after studying in a nautical school in Russia, came to Geelong in 1916; three weeks later he enlisted in the AIF.
- He served with the 22nd Battalion on the Western Front. In July 1918 he was gassed, but rejoined his battalion.
- After the war he received some education in nautical schools in London and Leith and returning to Australia continued serving on the ships. In March 1923 he perished aboard the ship ‘Amy Turner’ on which he served as the 1st mate and which was lost in a typhoon near Guam.
- Emerick Shimkovitch, a Polish seaman from Novo-Aleksandrovsk (Zarasai) in Lithuania, came to Australia with Raupak Ropenberg and enlisted in the AIF together with him (serving as Schimkovitch).
- He served with the 22nd Battalion on the Western Front and was awarded the Military Medal for his bravery.
- After the war he married Jean Lilian and worked as a motor driver in Melbourne. His wife died in 1931 leaving him with a young daughter. Later he married Esther Gladys Corden and worked as a lighthouse keeper.
Tripp, Tworek, Katajisto, Oberman
- Andrew Tripp, a seaman from Piarnu in Estonia, served for two years in the Russian army. By the time of his enlistment in the AIF he lived in Sydney.
- He served with the 18th Battalion on the Western Front.
- After the war he continued his seafaring occupation. During WWII he was employed on American small ships in New Guinea waters.
- Joseph Tworek, a Polish man from Warsaw, came to Australia in 1913, probably as a seaman, and worked in Sydney as a ship’s steward.
- He enlisted in the AIF, but was discharged six months later as medically unfit.
- After the war he lived in Sydney, marrying a Polish woman, Phyllis Sthrowzki.
- Erik Reinhold Katajisto, a seaman from Abo (Turku) in Finland, deserted his ship in Melbourne in 1914. When enlisting in the AIF he gave his occupation as a bootmaker.
- He served with the 46th Battalion on the Western Front. He was wounded in June 1917 near Messines and rejoined his battalion after recovery. In March 1918 he left his battalion, and was court martialed and sentenced to 5 years penal servitude.
- He was released in 1919 and returned to Australia. He settled in South Gippsland, married an Australian girl, Hilda Sofia Simpson, and worked as a bootmaker. During WWII he enlisted in the RAAF.
- Leo Oberman (served as Abramam), a Jewish man from Goldingen (Kuldiga) in Latvia, came to Australia in 1913 and worked as a salesman in Perth.
- He enlisted in the AIF as Leo Abramam and served with the 5th Battalion on the Western Front. In August 1916 he was wounded at Mouquet Farm and returned to Australia.
- After the war he lived in Adelaide and Melbourne and worked as a robe manufacturer.
Sandstrom, Nelson, Dreger, Amstead, Alexandrov
- Bertie David Sandstrom, a Finnish seaman, lived in Melbourne by the time of his enlistment in the AIF.
- He served with the 57th Battalion on the Western Front.
- After the war he stayed in Australia under the name of Strong.
- Eric William Nelson (his original name was Blomqvist), a seaman from Abo in Finland, came to Australia in 1905 and was sailing on the South Australian Coast.
- Enlisting in the AIF in Adelaide, he served with the 10th Battalion on the Western Front. In April 1917 he was killed near Boursies.
- His friend in Bowden commemorated his death in the local newspaper.
- Ernest Mikel Dreger, a son of German parents from Riga, worked as a seaman and came to Western Australia in 1910, followed by his brothers and fiancée Sarah Ligum. By the time of his enlistment in the AIF they had two children. His contacts with Latvian radicals in London provoked a lot of interest towards him in Australia.
- He served with the 44th Battalion on the Western Front. In January 1918 he was awarded with the Military Medal for his bravery.
- After the war he farmed with his family (he had seven children) in Geraldton and Koolanooka. During WWII he enlisted in the AIF and served in the 7th Geraldton Battalion Volunteer Defense Corps.
- James Amstead, a Jewish man from Czenstochowa in Poland, came to Australia in 1907 and worked in Sydney and Brisbane as a hairdresser.
- Enlisting in the AIF, he was discharged four months later as medically unfit.
- After the war he married Bertha Field and continued his occupation of a hairdresser and operated as a bookmaker in Mackay. During WWII he enlisted in the AIF and served for two years in the Australian Defence Canteen Service.
- Alex Alexandrov, a Russian seaman and carpenter from Koskolovo in St Petersburg Province, came to Albany in Western Australia in 1913. By the time of his enlistment in the AIF he had visited all the states.
- He enlisted in the AIF in Sydney, deserted three months later, and was arrested in Melbourne.
- He probably left Australia after the war.
Kattel, Vurhaft, Tuum, Greshner, Holmstrom
- Johannes Kattel, a ship’s carpenter from Dago (Hiiumaa) Island in Estonia, came to Australia in 1910 and lived in South Australia.
- Enlisting in the AIF, he served with the 4th Pioneer Battalion on the Western Front.
- After the war he married Norah McNamara, a widow, and lived in South Australia.
- Joseph Vurhaft, a Jewish man from Odessa, came to Australia in 1912 from the Russian Far East and worked as a gardener in Queensland.
- Enlisting in the AIF, he served with the 9th Battalion on the Western Front. In September 1917, at the battle for Mennin Road, he was severely wounded and his left arm was amputated; he also suffered from shock to his nervous system.
- After the war he moved to the USA and lived in San Francisco.
- Alexander Tuum, an Estonian sailor from Oesel (Saaremaa) Island, came to Australia in 1916 and enlisted in the AIF two weeks later.
- A week later he was discharged with the formula ‘Not likely to become an efficient soldier’.
- He stayed in Australia and after the war he married Wilma Murphy and lived in Sydney, continuing his occupation as a seaman.
- Basil Alexander Greshner, a son of the assassinated head of the Nizhny Novgorod security service, took to the sea in his youth and came to Australia on the Gunda with Russian friends in January 1915. They deserted the ship and Greshner, learning English, worked on the farm in Winchelsea and in the mines in Tasmania.
- Enlisting in the AIF, he served with the 14th Field Company Engineers on the Western Front. He was awarded the American Distinguished Service medal for his bravery in the attack on Peronne on 1 September 1919. He was also mentioned in Sir Douglas Haig’s dispatch.
- After the war he worked as a linesman in Tasmania and an electrician in New Guinea. In 1932 he went to Russia to see his mother. While working in Siberia he was arrested by OGPU, but managed to get away and return to his family in Melbourne (in 1927 he married a Russian woman, Olga Stoodilina).
- Edmund Einar Holmstrom, a Finnish seaman, enlisted in the AIF in Melbourne.
- Two months later he deserted and disappears from the records.
Leppanen, Loune, Mike, Norrgrann, Adamson
- Henry Leppanen from Vyborg in Finland lived in South Africa and came to Australia in about 1898. He worked as a cabinet maker in Sydney.
- Enlisting in the AIF, he served with the 36th Battalion on the Western Front until he got sick and was returned to Australia.
- After the war he worked as a shipwright.
- Karl Loune, an Estonian from Narva, came to Australia in about 1909, probably as a seaman. He lived in Sydney working as a boiler maker.
- Enlisting in the AIF, he served in the 1st Tunneling Company on the Western Front. He was killed in September 1918 during the advance on the Hindenburg Line.
- His Australian friend Mary Ann Ives commemorated his death in a newspaper advertisement.
- Alexander Mike (his true name was Maiko), a Belarusian from Zatitova Sloboda in Minsk Province, in 1909 left Russia for Canada. After working in Canada and the USA, he came to Australia in 1915. After working on railway construction and as a farm labourer, he enlisted in the AIF in Sydney.
- He served with the 30th Battalion on the Western Front. In May 1918 he was severely wounded in the chest at the battle for Corbie.
- After the war, having spent many months in hospitals, he started farming in Gosford. In 1924 he married an Australian girl, Florence May Gallard, and raised a family, writing his memoirs for them.
- Frederick Henry Norrgrann, a sailor from Kristinestad in Finland, came to Australia in 1912 and was farming near Port Stephens in NSW.
- Enlisting in the AIF, he served with the 35th Battalion on the Western Front. In October 1917 he was wounded at Passchendaele in the leg, but recovered and rejoined his unit in September 1918. Three weeks later he was killed during the advance on Hindenburg Line.
- His mother was found after the war in Finland.
- Paul Adamson, an Estonian seaman from Revel (Tallinn), served 18 months in the Russian army, coming to Australia in 1910.
- In January 1916 he enlisted in the AIF for the third time. He was discharged four months later as medically unfit, and made one more attempt to enlist in August 1916.
- He was married to an Australian girl, Mary Melvie Cox, and had a daughter, but he left his family and had numerous criminal convictions.
Mannerman, Welson, Sepscak, Olsen, Dynowski
- Lauri Mannerman, a ship’s stoker from Lahti in Finland, served on the ships for 8 years, before landing in Australia in October 1915. For a few months he worked as a colliery wheeler in Kurri Kurri and enlisted in the AIF in West Maitland.
- He served with the 4th Battalion on the Western Front and was awarded Military Medal for his bravery in the battle of Hazebrouck, working as a runner.
- After the war he worked as a labourer in North Queensland.
- Michael Welson, a Finn from Waasa, was working with Manneman as a colliery wheeler in Kurri Kurri and enlisted together with him.
- A month later he was discharged, being a ‘menace to the discipline, agitating for a strike’.
- After the discharge he was seafaring and moved to the USA.
- John Sepscak, in his enlistment documents and application for naturalisation, consistently gave his place of birth as simply ‘Russia’, although in a newspaper advertisement he added an unidentifiable ‘Romen, Russia’, but policemen during the naturalisation interview recorded that he was born in ‘Hopszywnica, Russia’. ‘Romen’ could be the Ukrainian town of Romny, while ‘Hopszywnica’ could be Polish Koprzywnica in Radom Province. Sepscak came to Australia in 1911, most likely as a sailor, and worked as farm labourer in Mahong Station in NSW.
- Enlisting in the AIF in Cootamundra, he served with the 56th Battalion on the Western Front. In October 1917 Sepscak was gassed during the attack at Passchendaele, then buried by shell debris and found unconscious; his condition was so serious that he was taken to hospital and later repatriated to Australia.
- After the war he settled in Bilboa near Kingaroy (Queensland) under the soldiers’ settlement scheme.
- Charles John Olsen (his true name was Karl Ronnbom) from Waasa in Finland came to South Australia in 1909, deserting his ship. In Australia he worked as a labourer and mill-hand.
- Enlisting in the AIF in Adelaide, he was discharged five months later as medically unfit.
- After the war he lived in NSW, becoming an inmate of mental institutions.
- Frank Dynowski, born into a well-off Polish family in Kiev, came to Australia in 1914 and worked as a labourer at Bugaldie, north of Dubbo.
- Enlisting in the AIF in Gulgong, he served with the 45th Battalion on the Western Front, being appointed acting sergeant. Later he was transferred to the Base Depot as a permanent staff member stationed in Havre.
- While serving in France, he married a French girl, Mary Hue, and chose to stay in France after the war ended. Later he moved to Poland, where he took part in the 1944 Warsaw insurrection. He survived it and served in Polish forces in Germany in 1944-1950. In 1950 he returned to Australia in the wave of displaced persons. By that time he had a profession of an engineer, but settling in Hobart he had to turn again to the unqualified work of a waiter.
Gaisman, Pry, Sutkis, Wilander, Cochura
- Ian Gaisman, a Latvian seaman from Riga, landed in Sydney on 10 January 1916 from the English ship Port Curtis. Ten days later he enlisted in the AIF.
- He arrived on the Western Front in October 1917 with the 3rd Battalion and a few weeks later was severely wounded in the leg at Ypres; he was repatriated to Australia.
- After the war he lived in Sydney working as a rigger and engine driver.
- William Pry (Prii in service records), an Estonian seaman from Moon (Muhu) Island, came to Sydney together with Gaisman and enlisted in the AIF with him.
- He was allocated to the 1st Pioneer Battalion and, like Gaisman, was wounded at Ypres in October 1917 in the back and leg, but returned to the trenches after his recovery.
- After the war he married an Australian girl, Letitia Croft, and lived in Sydney, continuing his occupation as a seaman.
- Anton Sutkis, a seaman from Lithuania, came to Australia in 1912. At the enlistment he gave his occupation as miner.
- He enlisted in the AIF in Liverpool, near Sydney; while training he got sick with tuberculosis. He was sent to a sanatorium at Wentworth Falls, but died in August 1916.
- Lennart Birger Wilander came from Wasa in Finland. He landed in Western Australia in 1912 and worked as a mill hand Yarloop.
- Enlisting in the AIF, he served as a driver with the 3rd Division Ammunition Column on the Western Front.
- After the war he married an Australian girl, Laura May Lane, and lived in Western Australia working at the mills. During WWII he enlisted in the AIF and served at Volunteer Defence Corps.
- James Cochura, a Ukrainian from Ekaterinoslav Province, served for 3 years in the Russian army as a foot guard and came to Australia from the Russian Far East in 1913.
- Enlisting in the AIF, he served in the 7th Light Horse Regiment in Egypt and Palestine.
- After the war he lived in a soldier settlement in Temora, but during the Depression moved to Sydney and then to Brisbane and worked as a wharf labourer. During WWII he served in the 1st Garrison Battalion.