Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Sergeant 1706 Edward Ernest Curson was born in Rocklands c1896 and was educated at the Public School in Attleborough. He left for Australia with his family at the age of 17 and was working as a House Boy / Labourer. He enlisted in the 45th Battalion Australian Imperial Forces in Holdsworthy, New South Wales Australia, on 2nd September 1915, embarking on HMAT Berrima from Sydney on 17th December 1915 for Suez where he arrived on 23rd January 1916. Here he was admitted to hospital suffering from mumps. After recovering he departed Alexandria on 2nd June 1916 aboard ‘Kinfauna Castle’, arriving in Marseilles six days later. He served in France and Flanders and was awarded the Military Medal for gallantry in the trenches in early August 1916, after which he was promoted to Lance Corporal and subsequently to Temporary Corporal. He was promoted to Corporal on 29th October 1916, four days after receiving his Military Medal in the field, and later to Sergeant on 3rd December 1916. He was killed in action by a shell in front of Owl Trench at Messines on the afternoon of 7th June 1917 aged 21. He is remembered on the Ypres Menin Gate Memorial Panel 7 - 17 - 23 - 25 - 27 - 29 - 31 and on the Rockland St Peter War Memorial. He was the son of William and Ellen Curson, of "Edgecombe," Telegraph Road, Pymble, New South Wales and a native of Rockland St. Peter, Attleborough, England. He was known as Teddy by many of the soldiers who submitted evidence to the Court of Enquiry into his death held on 7th December 1917. At the time of the 1911 Census Edward was a stable helper, aged 15, living in the household of his parents, William, a domestic groom, aged 44 and Ellen, aged 50, along with his sister Bessie aged 11.