Mirmovitch, Menachem (Mendel)

Son of Miriam and Yechezkel. Born in 1916 in the Jewish settlement of Margo, Cyprus, established by Baron Hirsch and ICA to bring the Jews closer to farming, Menachem was a strong and athletic boy and very handsome, and in 1927 the family immigrated to Eretz Israel. In Tel Aviv, Menachem took over the role of head of the family and went to work, first working in the iron casting factory Sadan, and was an outstanding athlete who had his hand and leg in many sports: athletics, motorcycle riding and soccer. He also participated in the “Maccabi” Eretz Israel team and participated in the Palestine team in many competitions around the world. Due to his excellence in the ranks of Maccabi, the Maccabi organization made sure to arrange it at a more convenient job – a customs officer at the Tel Aviv port. The more comfortable working conditions allowed him to devote himself to the sport and he traveled with his team to many competitions. One of the competitions took place in Australia. Menachem then headed a group composed of Maccabi and Hapoel. After the games he did not return to Israel but stayed in Australia. He settled in the city of Perth, worked there and also served as a coach. At the outbreak of the Second World War, Menachem was drafted into the Australian Army because he was a native of Cyprus, a British citizen. Menachem served in various places and after the victory over the Germans in Europe, his unit was transferred to New Guinea (now Papua), in an effort to remove the Japanese from there for a possible invasion of Japan. The war was cruel and very difficult. Apart from the jungle, marshes, and mosquitoes, the fighting with the Japanese mostly involved face-to-face fighting with bayonets and knives. In one of these battles, on 29 Iyar, May 12, 1945, Menachem fell in combat and was buried in a British military cemetery in New Guinea. He left behind a mother, four sisters, and a brother. A memorial was erected in memory of the rest of the Jewish fallen in the battles and they are commemorated in Sydney, Perth and Melbourne. The location of his grave is HH.A.11. Australian Infantry Unit. Rank private. He was 30 years old.