John Ouchirenko

Alias Oucharenko, Oucherenko     Russian spelling Иван Григорьевич Овчаренко

Born 26.08.1895     Place Odessa, Ukraine     Ethnic origin Ukrainian/Russian     Religion Roman Catholic

Father Oucharenko, Gregory     Mother Svetlana

Arrived at Australia

            from USA     on 01.1915     per Boorel     disembarked at Melbourne

Residence before enlistment Melbourne

Occupation 1916 engineer, mechanic, 1919 engineer, 1922 ships engineer, 1939 engineer, barber

Service

service number 6327     enlisted 1.05.1916     POE Melbourne

unit 5th Battalion, 39th Battalion       rank Private

place Western Front, 1917-1918       casualties WIA 1917 (twice)

final fate RTA 20.11.1918       discharged 4.02.1919, MU

Naturalisation 1920

Residence after the war Melbourne, Ballarat, Queenscliff, Victoria

Family wife Clara Oucharenko, married in 1917 in England, child born 1919, (wife and child remained in England); wife Doris Ouchirenko (née Robertson), married in 1927 in Australia; sons Ivan, David, Alex, daughters Stapanita, Ann

WWII served 1940-1944, 3 GB, 9 GB, 1 Aust BOD (MT spare parts)

Died 1969

Materials naturalisation (NAA) (Ouchirenko)

digitised WWI service records (NAA) (Oucharenko)

court martial file (NAA) (Oucharenko)

alien registration (NAA) (Oucherenko)

application for wife's free passage to Australia (NAA) (Ouchirenko)

WWII service records (NAA) (Ouchirenko)

From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:

The story of engineer John Ouchirenko, which shows the strain both parties experienced sometimes, emerged from Ouchirenko’s evidence at his court-martial, when charged with over-staying his leave in England. ‘I was married to an English girl on 5 June 1917, with the consent of the girl’s parents. Some time later the girl’s parents took exception to me and when I arrived on leave refused to let me know of my wife’s whereabouts.’ Previously, while in France, Ouchirenko had received letters apparently ‘signed by my wife stating that she did not wish to have any more to do with me. These letters affected me so much that I attempted to commit suicide but was stopped by my C.O. who especially gave me leave to come over and investigate matter. … I was so distracted by the way I was treated by my wife’s people … that I really did not know what I was doing.’ He suspected that his Russian origin was the reason for such treatment. He was in hospital when his wife Clara found him herself and it turned out that the letters had been forged by her family. The court, like Ouchirenko’s commanding officer in France, was very lenient with him and Ouchirenko just forfeited a fortnight’s pay. The story did not have a happy ending, however. Clara had a child but did not return with him to Australia, and later cancelled a free passage to Australia that Ouchirenko had organised through the military authorities. Luckily, he subsequently married an Australian girl, with whom he had a family.

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