Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Corporal Alexander Salvaris WX2908 was on active service in Sidon Syria in the Middle East with the2/16th Battalion, a most famous WA Battalion, when he was requiring hospitalisation. He was just 21 years of age. It was June 13th 1941 and the day was titled “Black Friday” because of so many Allied deaths and injuries on that day in Sidon, fighting the Vichy French.
Alexander was born at Perth on October 22nd 1919, the son of Constantine Salvalis and Chrissie Gourdis, both Castellorizians. He recovered from his injuries and was with his battalion when they were sent to New Guinea to help repel the Japanese on the Kokoda Trail. Alexander saw much ‘one on one’ active fighting against the Imperial Japanese Army and in one instance shot a Japanese at point blank range who was calling out in English in
the dark for the Aussies exact location. The 2/16th Battalion saw so much action and of the original 1000 men in the battalion, there were 707 casualties from Syria, New Guinea and Balikpapan. Alexander went on to medical school after the war and graduated as a medical practitioner in 1951. He had his medical practice in Perth.