Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

LEVY Elja Haim LRCP&S

1912-2002

Elja Haim Levy was born in Riga Latvia in 30th September 1912. He was the son of Mousha and Betty Levy from Russia; he had two younger brothers Leonard and Saul.  His family migrated to Scotland, and he gained his Licentiate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Edinburgh University, in 1939. The family migrated to Australia. Levy married Esther Shoshana, nee Shapiro in the Adelaide Synagogue, on 4th January 1942. He had met her in Palestine, in 1940, and she travelled to South Australia by air from Tel-Aviv Palestine, a plane journey which took one week. Esther’s parents remained in Tel-Aviv. She had been staying with Dr Leon Opit, from whose house she went to the wedding. Esther had been employed in the Palestine Customs Department and was multi-lingual. Levy was undertaking a locum tenens appointment in Kadina at the time of their marriage and worked at the RAH from 1940 to 1941.

Levy first joined the AAMC on 14th February 1942, when living at 127 Rose Terrace, Wayville, at the time. He was required to be naturalised as an Australian citizen and was placed on the Reserve of Officers.  He was posted as MO to 74 ACH, 52 ACH at Barmera, SA, until he transferred to the 2/AIF, on 2nd June 1942. and was posted to 19th FdAmb. During his time in the military, there was often confusion in the spelling of his forename and surname, although he signed his name as Levy, his wife signed as Levi, as this spelling was on their marriage certificate. Letters requiring them to use the spelling ‘Levy’ are contained in his military records. He remained with 19th FdAmb throughout his service and went to Bougainville on 28th December 1944 and returned to Australia, in September 1945, for posting to the 2/3 Australian Convalescent Depot.  He was posted to the Inter-service Medical Depot and undertook post-service training before his discharge on 23rd January 1946.

After the war, Levy took up a general practice in the Plympton area of suburban Adelaide. He was also interested in allergy conditions and was the senior visiting general practitioner in the Allergy Clinic, at the Adelaide Children’s Hospital. Elja Haim Levy died on 9th July 2002. His wife had predeceased him on 21st April 1992. They were both interred in Centennial Park Pasadena South Australia.

Note: Elja Levy's forename was sometimes spelt in records Elijah or Elia. 

Source

Blood, Sweat and Fears III: Medical Practitioners South Australia, who Served in World War 2. 

Swain, Jelly, Verco, Summers. Open Books Howden, Adelaide 2019. 

Uploaded by Annette Summers AO RFD