Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Lisle Norman WURR (1920-1993)

Extract from a family biography published in 458 Squadron Association website (www.458raafsquadron.org)

Lisle was born in August 1920 at Scottsdale in north-eastern Tasmania.

His father William had immigrated to Australia via New Zealand, with his parents, when he was just two years of age. The Wurr family name has been traced back to 1540, beginning in Norfolk, UK. I have been told that it was King Henry VIII who decreed in 1538, that all births, deaths and marriages must forthwith be recorded, so how far back in English history, the Wurrs go, is anyone’s guess.

Lisle’s mother was descended from north-east Tasmanian pioneering stock --- the Bessells. In that region of Tasmania, there exists Bessell’s Ridge and numerous other family-connected nomenclatures. Indeed there is a former gold mining locality in that area named Lisle. And I am 100% sure that Dad was named after that locality. I have been to the location marked on maps as Lisle ----- and I can tell you there is absolutely nothing left to see (except pine plantations)!
During the depression years of the 1930s, the family was split up and farmed off to various “foster” (?) families and this is how Lisle ended up on the “mainland”. After gaining his Leaving Certificate at Northcote High, he worked as a Salesman at Fred Hesse’s Menswear Store (Be smart and be dressy in clothes from Fred Hesse! So said the advertising slogan played during VFL [Victorian Football League – now know at Australian Football League] football game commentaries) and later at E.W. Mepstead’s Menswear Store both in Swanston Street, Melbourne.

On 29th April 1940, he enlisted in the RAAF to support the war effort. I always thought that this was an act of younger brother following older brother into the RAAF, but service records show that Dad enlisted some 14 months before Lance, who was seven years older.

Lisle commenced his basic training to start off as a Wireless Air Gunner at No.1 WAGS Ballarat on 29th April 1940. And it was during this very early part of his service, whilst stationed at Ballarat, that he met his future wife Patricia. Apparently they met at a milk bar in Sturt Street. After a further stint of training at No.1 BAGS at Evans Head in northern New South Wales, he set sail from Sydney on 3rd February 1941 to see action in the Middle East. The first leg of the voyage was to Singapore -------- on the Queen Mary!!!!! (ww2troopships.com/crossings/1941.htm). Dad never told me THAT! I discovered it by trawling the Internet. He arrived in Egypt on 24th March 1941 and became part of the Middle East Pool.  

As with many '458ers', Lisle saw service in RAF Squadrons 216 in the Middle East and 117 in the ME and India and Burma. In fact, there was so much to-ing and fro-ing between 216 and 117 squadrons, that Lisle was only a member of 458 RAAF Squadron for just over eight months from 3rd October 1942 to 12th June 1943. However of course, being an Aussie, 458 RAAF was the squadron he identified with very strongly.