Edward Rudolph Janshewsky

Alias Janshwesky (WWII)   Russian spelling Эдуард Рудольф Яншевский

Born 9.10.1893 (WWI); 9.10.1883 (WWII, naturalisation)     Place Libava (Liepaja), Latvia   Ethnic origin Pole/Russian/Latvian?   Religion Presbyterian

Father Janshewsky, William    Mother -

Residence before arrival at Australia left Russia ca 1910 for USA, lived in Great Britain for 4 years

Arrived at Australia

            from England     on 07.1915   per         disembarked at Sydney (?)

Residence before enlistment Sydney

Occupation 1915 sailor (fireman); 1942, 1947 boot maker

Service

service number 2687B   enlisted 13.09.1915   POE Liverpool, NSW

unit 18th Battalion, 3rd Battalion, 1st Pioneer Battalion   rank Private

place Western Front, 1916-1918

final fate RTA 12.06.1919       discharged 22.08.1919

Naturalisation 1947

Residence after the war 1919-22 New Zealand, after that lived in Sydney

Wife Hans Signa Janshewsky, married 1921

WWII served, 1942-1946, Boot repair section, Corporal

Materials naturalisation (NAA)

digitised WWI service records (NAA) (Janschewsky)

court martial records (NAA)

WWII service records (NAA) (Janshwesky)

Investigation service file (NAA)

From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:

 Drinking together, as mentioned earlier, was important in building bridges between people; but sometimes even this did not help. Edward Janshewsky, a Russian from Libava, left home when he was 17 and worked as a fireman on steamships, along the way collecting tattoos on his arms — butterfly, cross, heart and anchor, skull and snake, clasped hands, dagger, US flag and girl — which seemed to express something about his fears and aspirations. When he landed in Australia on a voyage from South America to Russia, the Russian consul in Australia made him enlist in the AIF. But his service did not go well. Court-martialled for going absent without leave in December 1917, his explanation to the court was: ‘I am a Russian and consequently was not much liked in the Coy. I consequently took to drink and went away.’ I believe that in his case, and in a number of other cases, Russianness was only one of the factors contributing to a soldier’s unpopularity. Janshewsky, though he enlisted in September 1915 and was in France until May 1918, when he ended up deserting, saw hardly any service with his unit (1st Pioneer Battalion), spending most of his time in hospitals, at base depots, being absent without leave and in detention. Later, he was found not to be eligible for war medals. Nevertheless we shall meet him again later — a quite different man this time, an Australian.

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