Ernest Mikel Dreger

Born 18.06.1881   Place Riga, Latvia     Ethnic origin German/Latvian   Religion Lutheran

Father Drager, Randolf (Rendolf)            Mother Helena

Residence before arrival at Australia Left Riga at 14 years of age and spent 4 years in France and Germany, was an apprentice brick maker.  At 18 years joined a ship as a merchant seaman. He worked mostly as a stoker in the boiler room. He travelled to many countries of the world over ten years. Visited Australia in 1907 and returned to London (from memoirs of his daughter Elaine Dreger)

Arrived at Australia

            from London    on 16.08.1909    per Port Chalmers     disembarked at Albany

Residence before enlistment Kellerberrin, Calham, Toodyay, WA

Occupation fireman; after the war: farmer

Family brothers Draeger Frederick William & Drager Adolf Leopold

wife Sarah Ligum, arr. as a fiancée 7.03.1911, married 4.09.1911

children Charles Oscar Otto b. 17.12.1912; Rudolph Robert b. 16.05.1914; Annie Eileen b. 20.06.1916; Betty b. 29.01.1921; Freda Maud b.17.10.1923; Elaine b.30.05.1926; Ernest b.1.02.1929

Other contacts in Australia August Maren

Service

service number 5382   enlisted 27.01.1916   POE Blackboy Hill, WA

unit 11th Battalion, 44th Battalion, 3rd MG Battalion   rank Private

place Western Front, 1916-1919

awards MM (LG 28/01/1918)

final fate RTA 3.09.1919       discharged 10.12.1919

Naturalisation 1914

Residence after the war Geraldton, Koolanooka

WWII served 1942-1944, 7 Geraldton Battalion VDC

Died 25.05.1944

Materials naturalisation (NAA)

digitised WWI service records (NAA)

Sarah Dreger's alien registration (NAA)

WWII service records (NAA)

memoirs of daughters Elaine and Betty Dreger, Perth

Clarke, F. G., Will-o’-the-wisp. Peter the Painter and the anti-tsarist terrorists in Britain and Australia, Melbourne, Oxford University Press, 1983.

From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:

It was probably in [autumn 1917]  that Ernest Dreger, the Latvian of German background who had become embroiled in the Peter the Painter story, won his Military Medal. Elaine Dreger, his daughter, explains the circumstances of his award: ‘I remember we would ask how our father received the Military Medal for bravery during the First World War. He told us how the Australians were pinned down by some Germans from a particular vantage point. He went quite close and then ordered them to come out and charge. Because he spoke such good German and had a commanding voice the Germans charged out and were captured by the Australians. We would say “Wasn’t that sneaky?” but he always maintained he always looked for prisoners and not bodies. On a second occasion the Australians were inadvertently being fired upon by the British forces. Our father volunteered to try to get across the no-mans-land and alert the allies to the situation. This he was successful in doing … .’ Dreger knew what he was fighting for: in Australia his wife was waiting for him with their three young children.

Back to home if you do not see frames