Sergei Sergeyevich 'Serjack' Denissieff (1898 - 1921)

Person Notes:
— He attended the Imperial Alexander Lyceum in St. Petersburg, and a family photo survives picturing Serjack and Alec Denissieff in their Lyceum uniforms.

— He escaped from Russia in 1918, having been serving in the "Cavalier Guards" of the Russian Army. He joined the Lincolnshire Regiment in the British Army (rank of Private), wanting to fight the Germans. Later he joined the White Russian Army under General Pyotr Wrangel. His English cousins heard that he was killed by the Bolsheviks, but his sister knew that he died of Typhus while serving with the Russian Army.

— His great-aunt, Edith Jauncey, applied to the British Government for Serjack's War Medals on 13 Apr 1921. It is possible that he was already dead at that point, and she may have wanted the medals for the surviving family.

Memories written by his cousin, Eleanor Jauncey:
"Serjack escaped and wanted to get into the Army but was very much upset that he was sent in the regiment back to a Russian front. He had meant to fight the Germans. However, he did extremely useful and very dangerous work, and his colonel continually recommended him for promotion and a medal. The War Office, though, could only think of a Russian as not trustworthy and finally the Colonel gave up, as he was threatened, if he continued. When Serjack got out of the Army, he went to the White armies, still struggling for the Tsar, and died there of the prevalent Typhus."

Memories written by his youngest sister, Mariamne:
"In the autumn of 1917, the revolution was brewing and troubles had started with mobs fighting the police in the streets. Father very wisely contacted Granny and Grandfather in Nice and arranged for us girls to leave Leningrad with Mlle Labarre. As Serjack was starting university and Alec was finishing his secondary education, Father did not think they should leave. He thought the revolution would only last a few months, and we would then return home."

— "The Edinburgh Gazette" 27 January 1920, page 266-7:
War Office
22nd January 1920.
His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to approve of the award of a Bar to the Military Medal to the undermentioned Non-Commisioned Officers and Men for bravery in the Field with the British Forces in North Russia.

ARCHANGEL COMMAND.
[Private Acting Sergeant]
17430 Pte. (A./Sjt.) S. Denissieff, M.M., 3rd Bn., Linc. R. (St. Petersburg). (M.M. gazetted 13th August 1919.)

— About the time of the birth of Serjack's younger brother, Alec, his mother hired a nanny, Emma Pugh (later Bate), an English nurse who would care for all five Denissieff children. She saved a number of photos from her time with the Denissieff family, offering a rare glimpse into the private life of a family in Imperial Russia.