James Theodor Gretchinsky

Russian spelling Яков Федорович Гречинский

Born 23.10.1886    Place Gorodnia, Chernigov, Ukraine   Ethnic origin Russian   Religion Russian Orthodox

Father Gretchinsky, Feodor    Mother Gretchinsky, Mary Nicanorovna

Arrived at Australia

            from Vladivostok    on 25.04.1913    per Yawata Maru      disembarked at Brisbane

Residence before enlistment Brisbane

Occupation 1914, 1916 electrical engineer; 1917 watchman

Service

service number 1353   enlisted 24.12.1914   POE Longreach, Qld

unit 9th Battalion   rank Private

place Egypt, 1915

final fate RTA 10.06.1915       discharged 13.08.1915 MU

Naturalisation 1920

Residence after the war 1916-1919 Sydney, Perth, Kalgoorlie, Sydney, Newcastle, Sydney, Cobar, Uralla, Egypt, Sydney

Wife Nellie Gretchinsky

Died 1956

Materials naturalisation (NAA)

digitised service records (NAA)

Investigation Branch file  1    2  (NAA)

alien registration 1      2  (NAA)

From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:

For some the process of Russianisation resulted in the loss or suppression of their original culture, which they grew up with; but many others developed, and maintained double (sometimes even triple) ethnic identities.[...] James Theodor Gretchinsky [...] was born in Gorodnia, in Ukraine (where it borders both modern-day Belarus and Russia). He applied to become an interpreter in the military censor’s office, stating that he spoke ‘Russian, Polish, and Courland, and one or two Russian dialects, also French and Japanese’ — by ‘Russian dialects’, he obviously means the Ukrainian and Byelorussian which would been spoken around him as he was growing up.

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