Ivan Frederick Lowack Selman

Alias Eric Frederick Lorrie Selmen; Ivan Ivanovitch Selmen; Otto Selman     Russian spelling Иван Иванович Селман

Born 1894     Place Mitava (Jelgava) or Riga, Latvia     Ethnic/cultural origin Latvian/Russian?     Religion Russian Orthodox

Residence before arrival at Australia studied for 2 years at a Military College, St Petersburg

Arrived at Australia from New Zealand (?)

Residence before enlistment Sydney, Melbourne

Occupation 1915, 1917 medical student

Service 1

service number      enlisted 1914 (?)     POE Wellington, NZ

unit 1st NZ Mounted Rifles       rank Private

place Depot (New Zealand)

discharged 1915 MU

Service 2

service number 4240     enlisted 3.01.1916     POE Sydney

unit 17th Battalion      rank Private

place Egypt, England, 1916

final fate RTA 31.08.1916       discharged 30.12.1916 MU

Service 3

service number 7324     enlisted 19.01.1917     POE Gulgong, Victoria

unit 7th Battalion       rank Private

place England, 1917

final fate RTA 22.07.1917       discharged 4.06.1918 MU

Naturalisation served as Russian subject

Residence after the war Melbourne, 1924 Hospital for Incurables, Heidelberg, Vic.

Materials digitised service records (NAA) (Selman Ivan Frederick Lowack)

alien registration (NAA) (Selman Ivan Leon)

I.F.L. Selman Military History (NAA)

From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:

Ivan Frederick Lowack Selman was another for whom the evidence pointed towards his being Russian, despite his name and his Latvian birthplace. When receiving his pension, in Australia, Selman gave his first names in the typically Russian form, Ivan Ivanovich; he was also Greek Orthodox and had studied for two years in a St Petersburg military college — all reason enough to consider him Russian, too, and not Latvian, nor German.

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