Artur Sirk
| Artur Sirk | |
|---|---|
Artur Sirk in 1933.
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| Born |
Artur Sirk September 25, 1900 Pruuna, Lehtse Parish, Governorate of Estonia |
| Died | August 2, 1937 (aged 36) Echternach, Luxembourg |
| Cause of death | Fall from a window |
| Resting place | Helsinki Hietaniemi cemetery |
| Nationality | Estonian |
| Citizenship | Russian, Estonian |
| Education | Tartu University Justice cum laude 1926 |
| Alma mater | Tartu University |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Known for | Politician, soldier |
| Political party | Vaps Movement |
| Spouse(s) | Hilda Sirk (Arnover) |
| Children | Viivu Sirk |
Artur Sirk (25 September 1900 in Pruuna, Lehtse Parish, Estonia – 2 August 1937 in Echternach, Luxembourg) was an Estonian political and military figure. A veteran of the country's struggle for independence Sirk later became a leading figure within the right-wing Vaps Movement and an outspoken opponent of the government.
A native of rural Järvamaa, Sirk came from a humble background, being a farmer's son. As a student he was amongst the first to volunteer to fight against the mobilising Red Army in the Estonian War of Independence.
Following the war Sirk was demobilised and went to the University of Tartu to study law before in 1923 enlisting in the Estonian Army where he was allowed to complete his studies. Leaving the army in 1926 he went to work in the legal firm of Theodor Rõuk, who had briefly served as Estonian Minister of the Interior in 1924. Sirk was soon involved in politics too, initially with the Settlers' Party, a vaguely rightist group led by Ilmar Raamot, whom Sirk knew from both his school and army days.
Sirk joined Eesti Demobiliseeritud Sõjaväelaste Liit (Estonian Demobilised Soldiers League) upon its formation in 1921 and its successor movement, Eesti Vabadussõjalaste Liit (Union of Participants in the Estonian War of Independence), being appointed deputy chairman of the latter group at its inaugural general meeting on 10 October 1926. Both of these groups had little ambition beyond being ex-servicemen's associations however Sirk desired a more centralised structure and to this end he established the Eesti Vabadussõjalaste Keskliit, or Vaps Movement as it became known, in 1929. Whilst the chairman of the new group was General Ernst Põdder it was Sirk who drafted its statutes, including an enshrined duty of leadership of the country's youth for the movement, and he also secured a seat on the eight member executive chosen at the first Vaps national congress on 26 January 1930 in Tallinn.
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