Australian Victoria Cross Recipient
Private Leslie Thomas Starcevich
Unit
2/43rd Battalion
Born
5 September 1918 at Subiaco, Western Australia
Date of action
28 June 1945
Place
Near Beaufort, British North Borneo (now Malaysia)
Details
During an advance towards enemy positions, as the Australians moved down a single track which followed a wooded spur, they came under fire from two enemy machine-gun posts and suffered casualties. Starcevich, a Bren gunner, walked forward firing from the hip. He assaulted each post in turn, killing five enemy and putting the rest to flight. The advance progressed until the section came under fire from another machine-gun post. Starcevich, without regard for his own safety, rushed the post and captured it after killing seven enemy.
Died
17 November 1989
Buried or Commemorated
Esperance Public Lawn Cemetery, Western Australia
Current location of the VC
Army Museum of Western Australia, Perth