Peter Metser

Born 17.09.1890    Place Arensburg (Kuressaare), Oesel (Saaremaa), Estonia     Ethnic origin Estonian    Religion Russian Orthodox

Arrived at Australia

            from England     on 23.07.1915    per Tasmanian Transport (as crew member)     disembarked at Hobart

Residence before enlistment

Occupation 1915 Engineer on ship; 1917 Marine and Mechanical engineer, 1918 commercial traveller

Service

service number 5555   enlisted 11.08.1915   POE Claremont, Tasmania

unit 6th Field Company Engineers, 13th Field Company Engineers   rank Sapper

place Western Front, 1916-1917

final fate RTA 4.05.1917       discharged 7.09.1917

Naturalisation 1922

Residence after the war 1917 Hobart, 1918 Sydney, 1922 Lithgow, NSW, 1929 and later: Sydney

Materials alien registration (NAA)

digitised service records (NAA)

biographical file (AWM)

naturalisation (NAA)

Peter Metser to D. Lloyd George [April 1919], in: Consuls Soviet Russia General (NAA)

Correspondence from Mr P J Metser to Minister of Repatriation (NAA)

applications for letter patent for inventions 1    2  (NAA)

‘Souvenir. Digger and King Albert’, Sun (Sydney), 20 February 1934

From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:

But the winter of 1916–17 was not all grim. The trenches became the soldiers’ home and their comrades became their family. Soldiers took their leaves in Paris and London, attended training schools, and had unusual encounters — I mention just two. The first one was on Christmas Eve 1916 and involved the Estonian former marine engineer Peter Metser, then ‘a private stationed at the artillery “bullring” (training ground) at Etaples’. Metser ‘had lost his 100-franc Christmas draw in the two-up school, and had returned to his quarters none too pleased, to find his mate “shot” and demanding a meal. Metser was preparing the meal when his mate asked him for a fag. Metser, who hadn’t the price of a fag left, was abusing his mate for his temerity, and bemoaning his loss when the door opened and a Colonel cautioned him for having a light showing. He then remarked on the private’s distress at his loss (which Metser had magnified to 500 francs in conversation), and, pressing a note into his hand, asked to be led to Captain Adkins, the officer-in-charge. Through the pitch-black night, the two tramped to the officers quarters.’ On his return Metser was amazed to discover in his hand a bill of such high denomination that it had never before been seen by the troops — a 1000 franc note. But his amazement was even greater the next day when he learned that he had served as a guide to Albert I, king of the Belgians, who used to visit the troops incognito.

    [...] In general, Russian subjects, including non-naturalised servicemen, faced very unfavourable conditions at that time, just after the war. While Finns, Poles and peoples of the new Baltic states had their consular representatives in Australia after the war, the Russians were deprived of any diplomatic representation in the aftermath of the Bolshevik revolution. The bolshevik propaganda put out by the unrecognised consul, Peter Simonoff, only made the situation worse for ordinary Russians. Peter Metser, a returned soldier, appealed to Lloyd George on their behalf, ‘we were not only forgotten but – punished by His Majesty’s Government by not counting us as living population’, and offered his own services as a consul in Tasmania. But all this was to no avail: diplomatic relations were only established with Russia during the Second World War.

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