Ansselmi Talava

Born 1893     Place Abo (Turku), Finland     Ethnic origin Finn     Religion Lutheran

Father Niskala, Johan     Mother -

Arrived at Australia

Residence before enlistment Craigieburn, Victoria

Occupation seaman

Service

service number 5499     enlisted 11.02.1916     POE Melbourne

unit 6th Battalion       rank Private

place Western Front, 1916-1918       casualties WIA (shell shock) 1917

final fate KIA 23.08.1918

cemetery or memorial details 26 Villers Bretonnuex, France; buried in a village near St Martyns Wood

Naturalisation served as Russian subject

Materials digitised service records (NAA)

digitised Red Cross wounded and missing file (AWM)

Roll of Honour card (AWM)

From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:

On [...] occasion with Ansselmi Talava, a Finn who had been a seaman before the war, it was his accent that saved the day, as his comrade Bill Smith related: ‘We both had to crawl through the snow to check on an ammonal pipe in front of our trenches. As we crawled back, we lost our direction a bit and were challenged. Alec, who had forgotten the password, “Sardine”, replied in a thick Russian accent, “some kind of tinned fish!” Fortunately the sentries recognized Alec’s voice and called out, “Is that you Alec?” We could so easily have been shot.’ [...] Talava was killed during the advance of August 1918.

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