Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Private Thomas Patrick McCurran (Service No. 5876), an Australian World War One veteran, is among almost 800 previously unmarked WWI veterans’ graves in Lutwyche Cemetery we have now marked with a plaque recognising their service for Australia.

On 23 September 2023, we unveiled his plaque in Lutwyche Cemetery, along with a further 300 plaques on the previously unmarked graves of Australian World War One veterans:

See  Australian Remembrance Army Facebook page

Thomas Patrick McCurran was born on 2 September 1872 at Whorouly, Victoria, to Thomas McCurran and Anna Maria McCurran (née Hardy). He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in Cairns on 14 June 1916 at the age of 39, recording his occupation as miner. He sailed from Brisbane for overseas service in October 1916 and disembarked at Plymouth, England, in January 1917 to commence training for active duty.

During his early training in England, he underwent several periods of hospitalisation, first for illness and later for mumps. After completing his training, he proceeded to France on 14 June 1917 and joined the 26th Battalion in the field on 2 July. On 6 October 1917 he was wounded in action, receiving a gunshot wound to the left hand, but after treatment he returned to duty the following month.

In early 1918 he again required hospital care after falling ill in the field, though he was able to resume duty in March and April. In June 1918 he was wounded in action for the second time, suffering a gunshot wound to the face, and was evacuated to England, where he remained under treatment until early July. Once recovered, he passed through the Command Depots and machine-gun training units before returning to France, rejoining the 26th Battalion in September 1918. He served with his unit until April 1919, when he marched out to England in preparation for repatriation. Private McCurran sailed for Australia in April 1919 aboard the Mahia, concluding his overseas service in the First World War.

Private Thomas Patrick McCurran died on 14 April 1949, aged 76, and was buried two days later in Anzac Portion 8, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane. He never married and had no known children.

His obituary in the Myrtleford Times and Ovens Valley Advertiser on Wednesday, 11 May 1949, recorded that he was a member of a well-known Whorouly family whose relatives were spread across Australia and New Zealand. Born at Whorouly, he spent his early years working alongside his father, an Oxley Shire contractor, before gaining employment with E. Barker and Sons as a hop drier. After spending two years on the Buckland goldfields, he left the district in 1901 for North Queensland, where he cultivated open nuts and bananas. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War and was wounded in France. Welcomed home at Whorouly in 1919, he soon returned to Queensland, where he lived for the remainder of his life. As a young man he had been a talented sportsman, playing both football and cricket for Whorouly. He was survived by a large family of brothers and sisters.

After decades without recognition at his place of burial, his grave now bears a plaque commemorating his service to Australia, ensuring his name endures among those remembered for their duty and sacrifice. His identity and dignity have now been restored.

We have remembered him.

Lest We Forget