Carl Michael Alksne

Alias Karl Alksne

Born 3/16.08.1888 (nat.) 3.08.1890 (CIB)   Place Penigel (Orega), Latvia   Ethnic origin Latvian  Religion Lutheran

Father Alksne, Michael   Mother Dorothy

Arrived at Australia

from Norway   on 11.05.1916   per Thor II (as II mate on board, discharged)   disembarked at Melbourne

Relative in Australia Michael Paegle

Residence before enlistment Sydney

Occupation 1916 seaman, labourer, ships carpenter, 1918 merchant ship officer, 1921 shipwright, 1936 carpenter

Service

service number 6689   enlisted 20.11.1916   POE Sydney

unit 18th Battalion   rank Private

place Western Front, 1917      casualties WIA 1917

final fate RTA 20.12.1917       discharged 7.05.1918 MU

Naturalisation 1918

Residence after the war 1921 Sydney, Koragah

Wife Agnes

Positions Consul for Latvia, 1921-1923

Died 1964, Sydney

Materials digitised naturalisation (NAA)

digitised service records (NAA)

Publications

Ineta Didrihsone-Tomaševska, Latvia’s consuls in Australia before World War II. - In: Aldis L. Putniņš, ed., Early Latvian Settlers in Australia, Melbourne: Sterling Star, 2010, pp. 157-164

From Ineta Didrihsone-Tomaševska, Latvia’s consuls in Australia before World War II:

Latvia’s first consular representative in Australia was Kārlis Miķelis (also Carl Michael) Alksne (also Alksnis). Born in Latvia in August, 1888, he graduated from the maritime school in Ainaži in 1912 as a qualified ship’s captain. Until 1916 he worked on Norwegian and Latvian trading vessels, and then travelled to Australia where he had a relative, Michael Paegle, in Melbourne. As an Australian citizen Alksne enlisted during WWI and served in France, where he was wounded in July, 1917. In 1919 he wrote to diplomatic staff in London recommending that a Latvian representative be appointed to support the interests of Sydney’s Latvian community. His recommendation found favour and Alksne, a shipyard worker described by the Latvian consul in London as ‘very energetic and patriotic in Latvian affairs’, on January 15, 1921, became Latvia’s representative in Australia.

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