YURAK, Oscar
| Service Number: | 2668 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 39th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Salismunde, Riga, Latvia., 12 November 1885 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Chicago, Illinois, USA, cause of death not yet discovered, date not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 9 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 2668, 39th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Benalla embarkation_ship_number: A24 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Nov 1916: | Embarked Private, 2668, 39th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Benalla, Sydney |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Tim Fitzgerald
Oscar Yurak, alias Yurack or Jurak.
Born 12.11.1885 at Salismunde, Riga, Latvia. Father John Yurak. Arrived in Australia unknown date. Occupation labourer. Enlisted at Sydney 20.07.1916 as Private 2668. Served with AIF Military Police, 8th and 39th Battalions AIF. served on Western front. served as a Russian subject. In April 1917 he wrote the AIF "I enlisted in Australia with the assurance of the Russian Consul in Sydney that I would be tranferred to the Russian army on my arrival in Europe." He added "I believe in a battlefield a soldier should be with his own people" and affirmed that he did not intend "to soldier with the Australian Army." No disciplinary action was taken against him and he returned to Australia 27.09.1917, and dischaged 10.12.1917 (services no longer required). He entered USA at Ellis Island New York 24.04.1920 and died at Oregon State Facility for the Insane post 1940.
Source - Russian Anzacs by Prof Elena Govor.
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