Vakmanni R.

(Rudolf Vakmann, 1894-1937)

Estonian revolutionary. Took part in the failed 1924 Estonian coup d’état (1. detsembri riigipöördekatse) for which he was definitively thanked in 1937 during the Great Purge. The coup, designed to set up an ESSR with help from the Russian Soviet Comintern, aka Third International, was partially hindered by the November 1924 Trial of the 149 removing a significant proportion of its numbers (see Tombi J.). Two of Vakmann’s brothers were caught and executed during the coup. Soviet occupation renaming (1959-1991) of Kauka.

Veimeri A.

(Arnold Veimer, 1903-1977)

Communist – oxymoronically – economist. Head of the Stalinist puppet state (1944-1951). Enabled the 1949 ‘March Deportation’ of some 20,000 mainly women, children, infants and babies critical of the regime to Siberia. Awarded “Hero of Socialist Labour” in 1973, Order of Lenin three times, etc. Soviet occupation renaming (1981-1995) of Kivila.

Loite (Loide)

Fire, blaze. In this particular case, a solar flare. A chequered history: Lessingi, Lessingstraße, Лессингская ул., from 1884-1938, then Leegi, also fire, blaze, until 1939, flipping to Flammenstraße in 1942, when perhaps some confusion with a Nõmme street of the same name caused a switch, first to Vine, haze or wisp, which lasted for a year (1959) before settling on its present name in 1960.