Waldemar Becker

Evert Gustav Waldemar Becker, also known as Becker-Bei and Ilmarinen, (6 April 1840 Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland - February 22, 1907 Naples, or Rome?, Italy) was a Finnish soldier, politician and adventurer, a lifetime appeared in several continents, and fought a number of countries, armies ranks.

Evert Gustav Waldemar Becker began his military career as a young student in Finland Cadet School which he completed in 1858.

Outbound departure was due to the fact that Lieutenant Becker eloped with a wife of a Russian officer first to Sweden and Finland then to New York City, and therefore he was declared a deserter.

In Rome Becker joined the Papal Swiss Guard, which, however, he resigned already after half a year to go to fight on behalf of the Greeks against the Turks.

The Greek Government did not accept Becker's plans, so he returned to Paris and began supporting the conservative faction in Spain and Don Carlos with newspaper articles.

After the cancellation of the Balkan League and the attack against Turkey Becker returned to Paris, where his friends got him a position as a political journalist in L'Estafette magazine.

In his writing Becker predicted fairly accurately the future Russian oppression in Finland, and at the same time called the Finns to arms in order to obtain complete freedom and acquire guarantees of neutrality from the Great powers.