Vachalaf Kovalsky

Alias Kavolsky, Vachelar (disch.); Vacheslav (pension)     Russian spelling Вячеслав Ковальский (Ковалевский)

Born 1887     Place Moscow area, Russia      Ethnic origin Russian/Pole      Religion Roman Catholic

Arrived at Australia

            from Far East      on 20.12.1912     per Empire      disembarked at Brisbane

Residence before enlistment Brisbane

Occupation labourer

Service

service number 2737A   enlisted 23.07.1915   POE Brisbane or Toowoomba

unit 25th Battalion, 9th Battalion   rank Private

place Western Front, 1916

discharged 25.11.1916 in London, MU

Naturalisation served as Russian subject

Died 28.12.1916 (poisoned himself) in London

Materials digitised service records (NAA)

From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:

The tremendous strain of [Pozières] battle had its fall-out afterwards. Some of the men fell ill after returning from the front — especially tragic was the story of Viacheslav Kovalsky from Moscow. Part of the Russian wave of immigration from the Far East, he came to Australia in 1912 and worked as a labourer. He was determined to join the army and, although rejected once, finally managed to enlist. After Pozières his sight began to go, rapidly; in the end he was taken to London. There, in November [1916], nearly blind, he was discharged. Three days after Christmas he poisoned himself: the police report stated he had ‘no known friends in this country’. No friends of his were found in Australia either. He is [...] missing from the Australian Roll of Honour. In any case, the military authorities never bothered to find out how to write his name correctly, recording him one time as Vachalaf Kovalsky and another as Vachelar Kavolsky.

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