This photograph included on a Commonwealth of Australia Medical examination when applying for a visa to emigrate to Australia was dated 1953
He was around 82 years of age when he died at 2130 on 2nd March 2005, 6ft. 2 inches tall, blue eyes and light brown hair.
He was very well educated, and an avid reader, his knowledge of historical and geographical events particularly in relation to Russia was brilliant.
He spoke of studying at University, and also of being in the cadets whilst studying in University, and we assumed that his war service was postponed because of studies.
We do not know what subjects he was studying nor we do not know for certain where but it could have been at Kharkov, Trembola, Ternopol or nearby but have assumed that it was near Kharkov since Kharkov was one of the most prominent sites for Russian Air Training at the time, and his brother and sister were both to be involved with the aircraft industry.
He kept a newspaper clipping in his wallet which we saw only briefly. It was in Cyrillic print and we assume it could have been either Russian or Ukrainian, as mention had been made of the Kharkov region when talking to friends.
The newspaper clipping was of two uniformed air-force personnel, (similar to Russian uniforms) which he said were his brother and sister and he did say that his brother was a pilot and his sister was an aircraft designer.
His brother would have been a year or so older than him and his sister would have been younger.
Conversation and innuendo suggest that he may have deserted from the armed forces or disappeared to avoid bringing his family into disrepute.
A ‘nanny’ brought them up.
His father was probably involved in politics, and may have been shot, he was an accountant, and mention has been made of the BKP. (The Bellorus Communist Party)
His mother was a ‘red head’ and younger than his father, also a very good guitar player, while his brother played piano ‘by ear’.
I know we do not have a great deal of information to go by, but if University yearbooks are available there may be a photo or references to him and his siblings, as it seems the family would have been quite notable and all three siblings would have been at University within a few years of each other.
We know that he was captured or taken to Germany by German forces around 1942-3 as we can place him at the Ahlen Colliery in 1943.
His documentation sometimes gave his occupation as coal miner, having been part of the forced foreign labour force at the Ahlen Coal Mines employed by the “Gewerkschaft Westfalen from 22/4/1943 until 30/3/1945 and from 1945 to May 1946 he was relocated to a Displaced Persons camp at Fallingbostel and then worked as a camp electrician at the Displaced Persons camp at the Trillkewerke Hildesheim from 1947 to April 1948.
We can trace his movements from Fallingbostel to Trillkewerke (1946), and then the Galvitz Kaserne in Hildesheim (1947) prior to his embarkation to Australia in 1954.
He spoke fluently in: English, Russian, German, Polish and Ukraine and apparently was employed by the British Occupational Force in Hildesheim Germany as an interpreter in 1946-7.
He apparently spent considerable time in a hospital in Germany seriously ill with pneumonia.
Medical records showed some lung scarring.
His body showed evidence of having been severely whipped at some stage, and he had a tattoo of a fish on his left arm, and a series of numbers on his right forearm, and he had a half of his little finger on his left hand missing.
He had very distinctive dental work done with his two front teeth being capped with a silver bar and the next tooth on the left consisting entirely of silver in appearance.
The dental work may have been carried out in Italy.
He played the mouth organ which he always carried with him.
If you can assist us in locating either of his siblings or family members we would be very grateful, and it will give us much relief to bring his life to a successful conclusion with his family knowing his history.
I can be contacted in the following ways:
e-mail: thornfield@bigpond.com
Telephone: 0428116259
Fax +61 3 5528 1188
Mail: Krysta Pitman, RMB1132, Heywood, Victoria, Australia 3304
