Korotcoff, Nicolas
SURNAME
Korotcoff
NAME
Nicolas
PLACE OF BIRTH
Samara, Central Russia
OCCUPATION
Labourer
PLACE OF ENLISTMENT
Port Douglas
DATE OF ENLISTMENT
13/01/1915
NEXT OF KIN
(mother) Alexandrina Korotcoff, Samara, Central Russia
LINK TO DOUGLAS SHIRE
Enlisted at Port Douglas - (Name on Douglas Shire Council’s Honour Board is incorrect)
REGIMENT 1
Special units
REGIMENT 2
9th Battalion AIF
RANK
Private (Driver)
CAMPAIGN 1
Gallipoli
CAMPAIGN 2
Western Front
DATE DISCHARGED
18/03/1919
OTHER INFORMATION
11th Field Artillery Brigade. Medals: entitled to Star 1915,1916,1917,1918 he does not ever seem to have been issued.
STORY OUTLINE
A Russian by birth, Nicolas Korotcoff arrived at Cairns in April 1912 after deserting from the Russian army in Manchuria.
Enlisting at Port Douglas he left Australia on the 16th April 1915 on the ship HMAT Kyarra, arriving at Gallipoli on the 22nd June.
Three months later he was hospitalised in Cairo and finally sent to England for treatment. Discharged, he was immediately sent to Étaples France where troops who had returned from leave or from convalescence would be 'toughened' up before being returned to the trenches.
Suffering a shoulder wound in action as a driver in October 1917 and further hospitalisation he was back in France by February 1918. Nicolas seemed to have a history of absconding during his various convalescent periods.
Because of his Russian nationality he, together with three other Russian nationals, was sent back to Australia in December 1918, arriving at Melbourne in January 1918 and discharged from war service as from 18 March 1918.
Twice married after WWI, he joined the Volunteer Defence Corps during WWII at age 53 whilst employed as a labourer at Johnston's Cairns timber mill.
SERVICE NO
2063A
