PURTELL, John Michael
| Service Number: | V215911 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 24 April 1942 |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
| Born: | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 13 February 1921 |
| Home Town: | Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Jockey |
| Died: | Minyama, Queensland, Australia, 8 March 2017, aged 96 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Buderim Lawn Cemetery - Crematorium & Memorial Gardens |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 24 Apr 1942: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lance Corporal, V215911 | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Oct 1943: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lance Corporal, V215911 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Youngest of three brothers who served in WWII, Lance Corporal John Michael Purtell (Service No:V215911) served in the ACMF with Central Ordnance Depot and Australian Army Pay Corps from 24 April 1942 to 29 October 1943.
Jack was born in Melbourne, Victoria in 1921, youngest of three children of Thomas Francis Purtell (b1875 in Ballarat, Victoria) and Lillian (Lillie) Louisa Agnes Gee Sing (aka Stevens; b1882 in Deniliquin, New South Wales). Thomas was a Labourer and Groom in Ballarat before moving to Melbourne, where he and Lillie married in 1904. The couple settled in Melbourne, where they raised their family and Thomas worked as a Tailor, Grocer and Cook and Lillie as a Restaurant Keeper. Following Thomas' death in 1929, Lillie remarried.
Jack left school in 1935 determined to be a Jockey, seeking an apprenticeship with twelve trainers before being taken on by Ted Temby. Jack had his first race the next year, and became a leading Jockey with numerous wins, including the Melbourne Cup. In 1949 in Melbourne he married Norma Giles (b1928 in Bruthen Gippsland, Victoria) - Norma was a Model in Melbourne. Jack and Norma settled in Melbourne, where they raised their family and Jack was a Jockey until 1966 when he became a Steward with Victoria Racing Club. Jack and Norma retired to the Sunshine Coast, QLD in the early 1980s. Norma died in 2015 and Jack in 2017.
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