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Victor Ahl is listed in the “Database & Stories of South Burnett Anzac Heroes” and the Regimental Book “Queensland Enlistments WW1” by Keith Wrench.
The reason I started looking at this name is that he was stated he was born in Finlan, Russia. I then found an entry by the Maryborough Family History Group for Victor in the Blogspot “A Tapestry of Russian Settlement in Queensland's Wide Bay Burnett Region”. I was even more surprised to learn that during the First World War over a thousand Russian-born servicemen enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). They were the largest national group in the AIF after British, New Zealand and Canadian born servicemen. Besides ethnic Russians, these Anzacs included members of a score of different ethnic groups born within the borders of the Russian Empire.
After being a part of Sweden for centuries, the territory of present Finland was from 1809 to 1917 an autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland, part of the Russian Empire. Some areas of present Russian Karelia and islands in the Gulf of Finland were also included in the territory of the Grand Duchy.
Victor Ahl was born 21 March 1870, Borga, (Porvoo) Finland. By 1889 Victor was a seaman and arrived in at Post Pirie, South Australia on-board the sailing ship Cedice De Saxon in November. Six months later he was sentenced to 14 days in jail at Adelaide for stealing one nobbler of whiskey worth 6p.
There is then a huge gap in his life until he applied for Australian Naturalization in 1915. In his application he stated that he had lived at various place in NSW and QLD, never married and no children. He had lived at Kingaroy for 8 years. His Oath of Allegiance was signed by Percy Gordon Kynvett, Police Magistrate, Kingaroy on 23 Jul 1915.
It seems Victor arrived at Kingaroy about the same time as Thomas Henry Evans who owned the Kingaroy Hotel from 1908 to at least 1924, probably later. When Victor, aged 45, enlisted in the AIF, 3 days after his naturalization was finalised, he gave his friend TH Evans, Kingaroy Hotel, Kingaroy as his NOK. Victor was 5ft 8 inches tall and weighed 138lbs. His complexion was fair, eyes blue, hair light brown and religious denomination Lutheran.
Victor was assigned to 31st Battalion, 2nd Reinforcement and his unit embarked from Brisbane, on board HMAT A55 Kyarra on 3 January 1916. Victor disembarked Suez, 31 January 1916 and joined 47th Bn, Tel el Kebir, 9 March 1916.
On 16 Apr 1916 he was admitted to 12th Field Ambulance with alveolar abscess; to No. 1 Australian Stationary Hospital, Ismailia, 22 April 1916; to 3rd Auxiliary Hospital, Cairo, 25 April 1916; to 1st Auxiliary Hospital, Heliopolis, 13 June 1916 (phthisis). He commenced his to Australia from Suez on board HT 'Clan McGillivray', 10 July 1916; disembarked Sydney, 14 July 1916; discharged, 4 October 1916.
Victor is listed on the 1919 electoral roll as living at Kingaroy – Invalid Soldier. After the war he occasionally got into trouble with police for his drinking problems. In 1924 he succumbed to sickness and died in Roma Hospital.
An article in the Western Star and Roma Advertiser Saturday 30 August 1924 - Page 2 reported: Returned Soldier's Death.—Last Saturday morning, through the thoughtfulness of Senior-Sergeant Loch, members of the R.S.S.I.L.A. were notified that a man named Victor Ahl, a returned soldier, had died the previous night in Roma hospital, and a few were thus enabled to represent the branch at a comrade's funeral, where Rev. A. F. Eva officiated. Deceased was 53 years of age, and born in Sweden. He had been a sufferer from chest troubles, and had been in the Roma district about two years. As far as is known he had no relatives in Australia. His headstone at Roma General Cemetery is well cared for.
Such a short story for a man who had lived in Australia for 26 years before being naturalized so that he could serve his adopted country.
Lest We Forget