Wyndham History

Owen Curle (1896-1918)

Item

Placeholder image - Veteran.png

Dublin Core

Type

Title

Owen Curle (1896-1918)

Contributor

Date

1917

Publisher

Wyndham City Libraries

Format

text

Language

eng

World War One Veterans Item Type Metadata

Name

Owen Curle

Birth Date

Service Number

3286

Enlistment Date

Next of Kin

Harry Curle
Brother

Address at time of Enlistment

c/o C Farrar,
Little River, Geelong

Occupation

Marital Status

Single

Death Date

Place of Burial

No known grave.
Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, France

Biographical Text

No.3286  Private Owen Curle
Owen was born in Taunton, Somerset, England on the 20 August 1896 to James Grinter and Sarah Ann Curle (nee Hill).  He had one brother Harry/Henry and two sisters, Hilda and Alma May.  

From a note in Owen’s army records it appears that his mother died in 1913 in Somerset and both his older sister Hilda and his father travelled with Owen to Australia from England, between 1912 to 1914.  It is not known where they stayed in Australia and records indicate that it may have been Dolorales Tasmania.  Hilda appears to be living in South Australia at the time of Owen’s enlistment and Owen’s address at enlistment is at Little River in Geelong.

War Service
Owen enlisted into the Army at South Melbourne, Victoria on the 10 December 1917.  He was aged 20 years and 1 month and he was 5 feet and three and a half inches. Owen weighed 120 pounds and had a chest measurement of thirty two to thirty three and a half inches.  His complexion was listed as medium, with brown eyes and dark brown hair.  His next of kin is listed as his brother, Harry Curle of North Street, Martock Somersetshire England.  All of this was recorded at the time of his enlistment.

His unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A38 Ulysses on 22 December 1917 and they arrived in Southampton England 14 February 1918.  Owen proceeded overseas to France on the 26 May 1918.  He was with the 38th Battalion and was a Private. On the 9 August 1918, Owen was killed in action, in the field in France. There is no known grave for Owen, however there is a memorial for him at the Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, France.

Medals and Entitlements
[received by his older brother Henry Curle in Somerset England]
  • British War Medal
  • Victory Medal
[received by his father, James Grinter Curle, who was living in Kyneton Victoria, after confirming he was his father, received the following entitlements:
  • Memorial Scroll - 29 June 1922
  • Memorial Plaque - 3 December 1923

Bibliography

War Records
http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au
http://www.aif.adfa.edu.au:8080/showPerson?pid=69830
http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead.aspx?cpage=1

Family Records
http://search.ancestry.com.au/search/

Medals and Entitlements

British War Medal
Victory Medal

Citation

“Owen Curle (1896-1918),” Wyndham History, accessed September 22, 2023, http://www.wyndhamhistory.net.au/items/show/1691.

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