Peter John Potter

Russian spelling Петр Иванович Поттер (?)

Born 4.06.1886     Place Saratov, Volga River area, Russia     Ethnic origin Russian     Religion Russian Orthodox

Father Potter, John     Mother -

Arrived at Australia

            from Saratov     on 12.07.1911     per Nikko Maru     disembarked at Brisbane

Residence before enlistment Brisbane

Occupation 1914 painter, 1915 printer

Service

service number 1642     enlisted 7.08.1915     POE Brisbane

unit 2nd Light Horse Regiment, 12th FAB,  112th Howitzer Battery, Adm. Headquarters       rank Trooper, Gunner

place Western Front, 1917-1919

final fate RTA 22.12.1919       discharged 12.04.1920

Naturalisation 1914

Residence after the war 1939 Brisbane, Merrylands, NSW

Family wife Victoria Potter (née Streeten), married 1917 in England, by 1919 had two children; son John Victor William Potter (1918-1941), KIA during WWII in Giarabub, Libya

Materials naturalisation (NAA)

digitised service records (NAA)

From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:

Despite his apparently European name, Potter turned out to have been born in Saratov, on the Volga River, and to have been Greek Orthodox. In addition, he gave his postal address as ‘c/o Mr Stepanoff, Merivale St, Brisbane’, a well-known lodging-house frequented by ethnic Russian émigrés, including many radicals. Taken together, all this provides sufficient grounds for including Potter with the Russians, culturally at least.

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