Description
Mercantile Marine War Medal, Vasyle Podolsky, a Georgian Sailor who came from the Black Sea Port of Batumi, born into the Ottoman Empire, Imperial Russia annexed his home when he was a boy. After the war he settled down and married in Cardiff,
he remained active in the Merchant Navy and was still serving as of 1941, even though he was 68 as a Ships Carpenter.
Officially Impressed: “Vasyle Podolsky”
Confirmed on the medal rolls, a unique name.
On a nice piece of silk ribbon.
EARLY DAYS IN OTTOMAN EMPIRE THEN IMPERIAL RUSSIAN GEORGIA
Mr Vasyle Podoslky, was born on 13th March 1873 in the City of “Batoum”, now known as Batumi, in Georgia, the Capital City of the Georgian Republic of Adjara.
Batumi is a notable Black Sea Port at the southern end of Georgia right by the Turkish Border, only 12 miles away.
Due to its proximity to the Turkey, this region was by the time of his birth part of the Ottoman Empire.
However when Vasyle was a young boy of only about 5 years old, the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-8 occurred, as a result of the victory of Imperial Russia, Batumi was annexed by the Russian Empire and taken under their control.
MERCHANT NAVY SAILOR WW1
Since then he became “Russian” as he is noted on his Mercantile Marine Records, however by 1918 Georgia was taken under the control of Britain until 1920, before they gave Georgia the chance to go independent. However in less than one year the USSR seeing weakness after Britain left, seized the country taking into the USSR for the next 70 years.
Meanwhile Vasyle Podoslky worked as a Sailor with the Merchant Navy.
He was over 40 when he took part in World War 1 as a sailor for the British Merchant Navy, and continued on for most of his life.
POST WW1 MOVED TO CARDIFF SAILING FROM THERE FOR REST OF HIS LIFE
He began to work with ships out of Cardiff, later where he lived for the rest of his life whilst going out on ships.
A Crew List from late 1920, shows Vasyle arriving in New York, USA on the ship Picton sailing from Cardiff, where he is listed as a 47 year old Carpenter.
Following the end of the war, he is shown on the 1921 Census living at the “Sailors Home and Red Ensign Club” in Mile End Town, London, a “Able Seaman” by trade who was Out of work at the time, the home housed many out of work Sailors during its lifetime. By 1919 it had admitted 639,005 sailors, of which Vasyle was one of about 11,376 from “Russia”.
Following on from this he clear had no interest in returning back to Georgia, which had during 1921 been invaded by Russia and been absorbed into the USSR, he instead went over to Wales, and settled in the city of Cardiff.
He wasted no time in finding a wife, marrying Annie E Nott in early 1922 at Cardiff.
During this period he officially became British, he is listed in the London Gazette, 2nd August 1929 on a “List of Aliens to whom Certificates of Naturalization have been granted.”
“Podolsky, Vasyle, Russia, Seaman, 46 Years Old, 46 Corporation Road, Grangetown, Cardiff, dated 4th July 1929.”
Shown on the 1939 Census, living in Cardiff, where he worked as a Ships Carpenter, probably at the nearby Cardiff Docks, however he was now sadly a Widower, his wife Annie Podolsky having died in Cardiff back in July 1930.
WORLD WAR 2
He was still working in the Merchant Navy during World War 2, however he never lived to claim any medals for this due to his death just after the war ended.
A Crew List from the Arundel Castle, sailing to Avonmouth on 7th June 1941, lists a now 68 year old Able Seaman Vasylie Podolsky, home Address “49 South William Street, Cardiff”, one of a long list of “Distressed British Seaman” who had got on the ship at Gibraltar trying to get back home.
Most of the men on board looks to have been sunk on their ships and were being returned home.
He died in Cardiff during October 1946.
