For King, Not Tsar: Identifying Ukrainians in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1914–1918
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Canadian Military History Volume 17 Issue 3 Article 3 2008 For King, not Tsar: Identifying Ukrainians in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1914–1918 Peter Broznitsky Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh Part of the Military History Commons Recommended Citation Broznitsky, Peter "For King, not Tsar: Identifying Ukrainians in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1914–1918." Canadian Military History 17, 3 (2008) This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Canadian Military History by an authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Broznitsky: For King, not Tsar For King, not Tsar Identifying Ukrainians in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1914-1918 Peter Broznitsky anadian-born men, followed by those born he claims that “nearly ninety per cent of the Cin the British Isles, made up the bulk of ‘Russians’ who joined the Canadian Armed the 620,000 men who enlisted in the Canadian Forces between 1914 and 1918 were natives of Expeditionary Force (CEF) during the First Ukrainian provinces,” without giving a source World War. Many Americans, perhaps 20,000 for this assertion.9 His inquiries were based on to 30,000 or more, enlisted in Canada or were archival documentation he examined during his recruited in the USA. Men holding Russian career as an academic and civil servant, but his passports became the next most numerous survey was by no means complete, thorough group in the CEF, as recent immigrants from the or accurate. For example, Kaye compiled an vast Russian Empire joined up. How many of honour roll of 393 men who died during the these were ethnic Ukrainians, born in Ukrainian Great War that he identified as ethnic Ukrainian. regions of the Tsarist Empire? And how many Unfortunately, his results are flawed, as further ethnic Ukrainians born in the Austro-Hungarian examination reveals some 18 percent of the Empire, even though it was one of the enemy casualties cited by Kaye were actually from Central Powers, were allowed into the Canadian Canada, Britain, Serbia, Montenegro, Japan, army?1 and other countries, with surnames that were misinterpreted as Ukrainian. Amongst others, the The question of how many Ukrainians served names Ban, Brabyn, Charnock, Dubie, Holdich, in the CEF has been asked since the 1920s, but Kolesar, Kuryn, Latta, Luckasevitch, Marzo, no scholarly study has ever provided the answer, Milatovich, Mochrie, Pashley, Sabiston, Skakun, and few published sources can be found. A first Syslak, Twerdun, and Wrennick were recognized estimate put the number at 20,000.2 Another as Ukrainian-born,10 when in fact they are not. figure of 12,000 to 15,000 was proposed.3 A much lower figure of 2,000 was mentioned.4 More Nevertheless, Kaye’s work is seminal and recently, 10,000 has been offered.5 Up to 6,000 serves as an introduction to the topic. His has been suggested.6 focus was on the Canadian Corps, but other organizations outside the corps, such as the The only book to deal with the subject is Ruthenian Forestry Company, the Canadian Ukrainian Canadians in Canada’s Wars (1983).7 Forestry Corps, and the Siberian Expeditionary Its author, Professor Vladimir Kaye, passed away Force, all deserve detailed study to more in 1976 and his research was posthumously accurately discover participation by ethnic edited by John Gregorovich. Sub-titled “Volume Ukrainians. 1,” there have been no subsequent volumes.8 The simple response to the question of how Kaye’s book does not propose a final many Ukrainians from the Tsarist or Austro- reckoning of Ukrainians in the CEF, although Hungarian empires served in the CEF is that we © Canadian Military History, Volume 17, Number 3, Summer 2008, pp.21-30. 21 Published by Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2008 1 Broznitsky - Ukranians in CEF.indd 21 08/09/2008 1:31:48 PM Canadian Military History, Vol. 17 [2008], Iss. 3, Art. 3 will never know precisely, but the figure is likely papers were required by regulation, in many about 3,000 to 4,000. The number is based on an cases the man’s word was accepted as to place of extrapolation from a database, compiled by the birth and other key information. Men lied about author from many sources, of some 6,000 men their vital details, such as place of birth and from Slavic areas of Europe. The estimated figure next-of-kin address. The reasons, amongst other for Ukrainian participation compares to figures possibilities, were to create a new identity, to flee compiled by the Department of National Defence debt or criminal charges in the old country, or to (DND) for racial groups: “3,500 Aboriginals, avoid the Tsar’s military draft. (It should be noted 1,000 blacks and 600 Japanese Canadians.”11 that it was easier for Canadians and Britons to tell Lamentably, DND has not compiled figures for untruths, as they were not required to produce other groups. any documentation of any kind.) The reasons for the imprecise answer Many men were illiterate in Russian, and concerning Ukrainian recruits are numerous, many more uneducated in spoken and written and any study of enlistment or conscription English, so they could not verify that what by any ethnic or racial group will face many of had been written or typewritten about them the same issues. First and foremost, no form was in any way accurate or even close to being contained a question that specified race or accurate.13 The vast majority of CEF recruiting ethnicity. In isolated examples, some notations clerks, non-commissioned officers, and officers were made, but these are very infrequent. Forms, knew very little about Russian postal addresses, moreover, changed over the years, sometimes geography, language, or religion. To them, if they leaving out vital biographical fields. Records were hearing gibberish, what else could do they were, of course, completed by hand or with the do but record the nonsense as best they could. aid of typewriters and carbon copy paper, and any Some men’s surnames and, more commonly, additional copies had similarly to be manually forenames were Anglicized, often without their produced, thereby multiplying the possibilities of consent or knowledge. Conversely, no doubt some errors being introduced. Record-keeping during men wanted to “fit in” in their new land and so the early years of the CEF was often sloppy, and Wasili became Bill and Melnyk became Miller.14 quality varied greatly from unit to unit. The Russian Empire was much larger than The intention of the authorities was to issue an in today’s world, and thus ethnic Finns, ethnic enlisting man with a unique regimental number Germans, and western Europeans born in that would follow him through his military career Russia were noted as Russian, along with men as a distinctive identifier. There were no central from what are now Ukraine (Little Russia), data processing systems to check the accuracy Belarus (Byelorussia, White Russia), Moldova of names and regimental numbers. Men were (Bessarabia), Romania, Poland, Georgia, and allowed to enlist more than once (if rejected the Baltic States. Even if a man or group of men the first time during training for example) and spoke Ukrainian as they enlisted, it would have sometimes received different regimental numbers been recognized as Russian. No firm evidence or were re-entered with variations of their names. has been found of the Ukrainian (or “Ruthenian”) Men with strong Russian (or possibly Ukrainian) language being spoken in the CEF. accents or speaking no English at all were allowed to enlist, leading to much confusion over names To prove a total Ukrainian enlistment of and addresses as recruiting clerks puzzled 3,000 to 4,000 a present-day researcher must to understand what they were hearing.12 The first examine the available military service transliteration of Cyrillic documents into English records held by Library and Archives Canada was challenging and there were many errors. (LAC). Analysis of such records quickly presents Mistakes of transliteration in documents from numerous challenges in deducing if a man was a man’s original immigration to Canada were indeed an ethnic Ukrainian. perpetuated. The initial form completed upon recruitment While proof of identification such as a was the attestation paper, form “M.F.W. 23.” Russian passport or Canadian naturalisation Resembling very closely its British army 22 https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh/vol17/iss3/3 2 Broznitsky - Ukranians in CEF.indd 22 08/09/2008 1:31:48 PM Broznitsky: For King, not Tsar counterpart, the attestation form was double- found can be straight-forward or puzzling, very sided, with the front collecting biographical complete or simply the one word “Russia.” In the details, and the rear physical and medical words of one authority, “Between [Canadian] and information. The attestation paper was completed western European ignorance of the geography by a recruiting clerk, non-commissioned officer, of eastern Europe, most immigrants’ illiteracy or officer. Infrequently the enlisting soldier filled and sketchy information on the administrative parts of the form himself. Firstly, the man was asked for his name. This led in more than several cases to placing surname as forename and vice versa.15 Even when the modified attestation paper which differentiated between surname and Christian names was introduced, the reversal of names continued. The name question created the first challenge for the recruiting clerk – transliteration and spelling. Many thought-provoking attempts at Slavic names are found. If the man did not have documents in English with his name in the Latin alphabet, the recruiting clerk would do his best to write down what the man was saying.