Christian Rink

Alias Christian de Rink; Christian Lawrence Smidt Rinkoff (known as Rink)

Born 16.01.1872     Place Odessa, Ukraine (enlistment, alien registration); Bordeaux, France (naturalisation)     Ethnic origin French/Russian     Religion Russian Orthodox

Father Anthony de Rink, French     Mother Rumanian

Residence before arrival at Australia ‘My parents left France when I was very young and we have resided in Odessa, Canada, England and Australia’.

Arrived at Australia

            from America     on 08.1899 or 09.1905     per Panamuta     disembarked at Sydney

Residence before enlistment Broken Hill, Newcastle, Sydney

Occupation 1916 electrician, engineer, 1919, 1930 engineer, 1931 agent and salesman, 1935 engineer and wine agent

Service

service number 6747     enlisted 16.02.1916     POE Sydney

unit 8th Field Company Engineers, 7th Field Company Engineers, Australian Flying Corps       rank Sapper

place Western Front, 1916-1917

final fate RTA 12.03.1918       discharged 21.06.1918 as undesirable, not eligible for awards

Naturalisation served as Russian subject; naturalised in 1930, naturalisation was revoked in 1934

Residence after the war Brisbane, Collie, WA, 1931 NZ, 1934 imprisoned for 12 years

Wife Teressa de Rink

Materials naturalisation (NAA)

digitised service records (NAA)

court martial file (NAA)

From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:

Another was the engineer Christian de Rink: on enlisting with the AIF, he gave his birthplace as Odessa, a claim supported by the Russian consulate, which obviously took him for a Russian subject. In 1930, however, when applying for naturalisation, he said he was born in Bordeaux, France, of a French father and Rumanian mother.

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