Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(Aus.) the Salvation Army or one of its members; also attrib.

1898		Clipper (Hobart, Tas.) 8 Oct. 6/2: The two jokers were in a down town hostelry [...] when in popped a couple of Salvarmy lasses bent on selling the War Cry and converting the customers of Bung from tbe paths of gin — or sin.
1901		Truth (Sydney) 17 Mar 6/1: Not content with merely stouching uproariously inclined dossers at the Salvarmy People’s Palace, the officials (one of whom is a ‘converted’ Woolloomooloo ‘bummer’) chuck them out into the street, half nude, with the remainder of their clothes after them.
1902		Bulletin (Sydney) 2 Aug. 14/2: T’other evening, at the Salv’army meeting, the ‘lasses’ instead of ‘firing volleys’ and making things hum, as of yore, sat stiff and self-conscious, and wriggled shamefacedly when religious penny-dreadfuls were orated from the platform about innocent young things.
1904		Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 12 Oct. 3/5: [T]he Salvarmy and other hordes of howling windbags.
1905		Sun. Times (Perth) 23 Apr. 1/1: Some people mistook the old salt for a new style of Salvarmy serang.
1908		N.Z. Truth 22 Feb. 6/2: Coming out of the Salvarmy doss house is no excuse for getting drunk.
1914		Truth (Melbourne) 3 Jan. 3/5: The Salvarmy is one of the cussedest, most infernal nuisances.
1920		Truth (Perth, WA) 8 May 4/7: Even the Salvarmy brass-hats bleat about the Hempire, although they are supposed to be international.
1933		Western Mail (Perth, WA) 16 Nov. 25/1: ‘Brigadier’ is the title now tacked on to the holder of the position of Base Commandant, the rank being that of full colonel. Sounds so very like the Salvarmy, doesn't it, darlings?
1939		Southern Cross (Adelaide) 24 Feb. 9/1: There was the scraggymoustached Salvarmy with his mouth wide open singing,.