Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

MAJOR MAURICE HURFORD

Long-standing RUSI–SA member, MAJ Maurice (Maurie) James Hurford died on 26 April 2013 at the age of 93. Maurie joined the RUSI (USI at the time) in 1958 and was a life member since 2001. He was an active supporter of the RUSI-SA. Maurie was handicapped from before WWII. He studied at Woodville District High School before WWII, living near the Cheltenham racecourse. He was a back-room guy pumping a typewriter in Melbourne for the unlisted top-secret Z Special Unit of the 2nd AIF during the war. Eventually he received service numbers S31299 and AKX83. He had a battle to get a military pension for years as his unit was not listed, nor was it officially in the order of battle! That is how secret it was - no numbers, no records. As a Warrant Officer, after the war he managed to be selected to be trained in education at the SA Department of Education's Wattle Park Teachers' College in Adelaide (where my father was one of his lecturers). Eventually he won his commission which took him to the Eastern States and to Singapore. Maurice James Hurford rose to the level of Major. He was president of the Naval Military and Air force Club of SA from 1985 to 1987 and President for many years of Z Special Unit Association of SA. He spent a few years, from 1969 to 1971, in Singapore in an army educational posting.

The following notes were provided by Colin Brooks.

https://www.rusi.org.au/resources/Documents/445%20Jun_July%202013.pdf