Walter Pivinski
Russian spelling Владимир (?) Пивинский
Born 5.07.1887 Place Odessa, Ukraine Ethnic origin Russian Religion Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic
Residence before arrival at Australia served in the Russian Navy for 2 years
Arrived at Australia 12.04.1914
Residence before enlistment Sydney, Kalgoorlie, WA
Occupation seaman, sailor, miner
Service 1
service number 720 enlisted 4.05.1915 POE Liverpool, NSW
unit 18th Battalion rank Private
place Gallipoli, 1915 casualties WIA 1915
final fate RTA 17.09.1915 MU; 29.11.1915 returned to duty (his own request)
Service 2
service number 720 enlisted 20.01.1916 POE at sea
unit 18th Battalion, 3rd Battalion rank Private
place Egypt, 1916
final fate RTA 17.07.1916 discharged 2.12.1916 MU
Naturalisation served as Russian subject
Residence after the war 1917 London; 1920 & 1921 Pte 6204055, Field Hospital Coy 4, Fort Wm McKinley, Rizal, Philippine Islands (US Army, Manila), 1923 San Francisco, USA
Materials digitised service records (NAA)
alien registration (NAA)
From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:
Frank Lesnie, who had landed at Gallipoli in August in company with a number of Russians from 17–20th Battalions, wrote home on 1 November: ‘I can only say this; the 18th Battn. … arrived here 10 weeks ago and now 64 of the original lot remain. Most of them have gone away sick and wounded, but I don’t know how many were killed. The 18th were dead unlucky, going into a charge the day following their landing.’ That charge was in the battle for Hill 60, a fierce engagement at close range. Two Ukrainian-born soldiers from the 18th Battalion received bayonet wounds in it: Jack Vengert, previously a cook, bayoneted in the wrist; Walter Pivinski, a former sailor, ‘wounded on the left eye with a bayonet’, also had shrapnel wounds to the hand, a ‘fracture of skull’, and was ‘wounded to the back through explosion of shell’. Both men were transported to Australia to recover, and both chose to return to the battlefields again.
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