Paul Elias Isaac Finn

Born 13.06.1887   Place Vilno, Lithuania     Ethnic origin Jewish     Religion 1916 Methodist, 1942 Church of England

Father Finn, Aaron Harris       Mother Bernstein, Rachel

Residence before arrival at Australia left Russia in 1907 for Great Britain, lived in Scotland for 3 years and in London

Arrived at Australia

            from London     on 28.06.1913     per Beltana     disembarked at Melbourne

Residence before enlistment Melbourne, Goulburn, Illabong Creek, Sydney, Stockton, Newcastle, NSW

Occupation 1915 fitters labourer, motor driver, 1919 railway employee, 1942 car driver, fitter, turner

Service

service number 1644   enlisted 16.02.1916   POE Newcastle

unit 35th Battalion, 9th LTM Battery   rank Private

place Western Front, 1916-1918       casualties WIA 1917, 1918 (twice)

final fate RTA 2.01.1919       discharged 13.12.1919 MU

Naturalisation 1919

Residence after the war Newcastle, NSW, 1942 The Entrance, NSW

Wife Essie Finn, married 1936

WWII served 1941-1942 8th Garrison battalion

Died 31.05.1956

Materials digitised naturalisation (NAA)

digitised WWI service records (NAA)

WWII service records (NAA)

From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:

 For the Russians an added dimension was their feeling of having now earned their right to be sons of Australia — this place where they had originally landed only by chance. Paul Finn, for instance, who was refused naturalisation before his enlistment, after returning from the war applied for it again. When there was a delay, he wrote an indignant letter to the bureaucrats: ‘I have been wounded three times, I have bled and suffered for Australia, and I am still suffering’. And they immediately naturalised him.

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