August Wesley
A Finnish revolutionary who commanded the Red Guards in a civil war, then fought under three different flags in the turbulent aftermath of WWI.
Born 1887 (age 139)·Finnish journalist·Birthday: August 3·The Lost Generation
Biography
August Wesley's life reads like a novel of early 20th-century upheaval. A journalist and trade unionist, he was thrust into a position of military command during the 1918 Finnish Civil War not by training, but by the radical circumstances of the moment. As chief of the Red Guards' general staff, he helped organize the socialist forces in their doomed struggle against the Whites. Following the Reds' defeat, Wesley's story took a remarkable turn. He fled Finland and became a soldier of fortune and circumstance, first joining the British-organized Murmansk Legion to fight against Bolsheviks in Russia's north, and later serving as a lieutenant in the Estonian Army during its War of Independence. His journey from newspaperman to revolutionary commander to international legionnaire encapsulates the chaotic, borderless conflicts that reshaped Northern Europe after the collapse of empires.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
August was born in 1887, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When August Was Born
The biggest hits of 1887
August's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1887Born
President: Grover Cleveland
1892Started school
President: Benjamin Harrison
1900Became a teenager
Boxer Rebellion in China
President: William McKinley
1903Could drive
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1905Could vote
Einstein publishes the theory of special relativity
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1908Turned 21
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1917Turned 30
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1927Turned 40
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1937Turned 50
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1947Turned 60
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1957Turned 70
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1967Turned 80
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
2026Age 139 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the Chief of the General Staff for the Finnish Red Guards during the 1918 Civil War.
- Fought as a lieutenant in the Estonian Army during the Estonian War of Independence (1918-1920).
- Served in the British-organized Murmansk Legion, intervening in the Russian Civil War.
- Was a prominent journalist and editor for the Finnish Social Democratic labor movement press.
Did You Know?
Before his military and revolutionary activities, he worked as a typesetter and a newspaper editor.
His original surname was 'Weslin,' which he later changed to the more Finnish-sounding 'Wesley.'
After his service in Estonia, he eventually returned to Finland in the 1920s.
His life and shifting allegiances have made him a complex and debated figure in Finnish history.
“We are not soldiers by profession, but by necessity.”
