Hurtle Stanley CLEASBY

Hurtle Stanley CLEASBY Update Details

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CLEASBY, Hurtle Stanley

Service Number:	1605
Enlisted:	Not yet discovered
Last Rank:	Private
Last Unit:	50th Infantry Battalion
Born:	Petersburg, South Australia, Austraia, 4 July 1892
Home Town:	Solomontown, Port Pirie, South Australia
Schooling:	Solomontown Public School, South Australia
Occupation:	Labourer
Died:	Died of wounds, France, 12 August 1918, aged 26 years
Cemetery:	Daours Communal Cemetery Extension, France Daours Communal Cemetery Extension, Daours, Picardie, France
Memorials:	Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Port Pirie Oval WW1 Memorial Gates, The South Australian National War Memorial

World War 1 Service

19 Feb 1915:	Involvement Private, 1605, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Runic embarkation_ship_number: A54 public_note: ''
19 Feb 1915:	Embarked Private, 1605, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Runic, Melbourne
12 Aug 1918:	Involvement Private, 1605, 50th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1605 awm_unit: 50 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-08-12

Help us honour Hurtle Stanley Cleasby's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography contributed by St Ignatius' College

Hurtle Stanley Cleasby, born on July 4th, 1892, in Petersburg, now known as Peterborough. He was described in his enlistment papers as 5’6, 136lb, with fair skin, brown eyes, and black hair. Son of Jane and Lewis Cleasby, brother of Ernest, Alma, Venda and Gladys. He also had 9 half siblings. He was educated at Solomontown Public School and followed the Protestant religion. Prior to his enlistment Hurtle worked as a labourer.

Hurtle enlisted on November 30th, 1914, and underwent his basic military training in Morphettville, South Australia. His unit embarked from Melbourne, on board HMAT A54 Runic on February 19th, 1915. Once arrived in Egypt on March 27th, his unit continued training. He arrived at Gallipoli soon after. On the 4th July 1915 Cleasby was wounded in the head and was taken to the No 1 Stationary Hospital in Mudros on 31st July 1915 due to eye strain.

He then attended a rest camp in Mudros and rejoined his unit in November. After the evacuation of Gallipoli Cleasby returned to Egypt and was transferred to the 50th Battalion on 26th February 1916. He proceeded to France in June, disembarking on 12th June. The following month he became ill and was hospitalised, returning to his unit on 4th August 1916.

He remained serving with the 50th Battalion until 15th March 1917 when Cleasby was admitted to hospital with scabies and then diagnosed with dermatitis. He was treated in French hospitals until the beginning of April when he reported to depot. However, within a couple of weeks he returned to hospital and was transferred to England diagnosed with severe Pleurisy. He was treated in King George Hosptial and then took furlo and reported to base at Perham Downs on 14th June 1917. He proceeded back to France to rejoin his unit the following month.

Cleasby was wounded in action in Belgium on 18th October 1917, gassed. After initial treatment in French hospitals he was transferred to England for treatment and rest and then reported to depot for lighter duties. While posted at depot he caught an infection and was sent back to hospital for over a month. He returned to the front rejoining the 50th Battalion at the beginning of May. Once again he required hospital treatment for an illness the following month and rejoined his unit at the beginning of August. Just over a week later on August 11th, 1918, Hurtle Stanley Cleasby was shot in the head by a sniper and died the next day, August 12th, when he was taken to hospital, passing away at the age of 26. He was buried in Daours Communal Cemetery Extension (Plo III, Row E, Grave No. 25), France.

Reference list:

Adfa.edu.au. (2026). Details. [online] Available at: https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=55112 [Accessed 1 Apr. 2026].
Awm.gov.au. (2026a). Hurtle Stanley Cleasby. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1482826 [Accessed 25 Mar. 2026].
Awm.gov.au. (2026b). SS RUNIC, USED AS A TROOPSHIP DURING WORLD WAR I AS HMAT RUNIC. VERSO OF ORIGINAL PRINT SIGNED BY ... [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C46205 [Accessed 1 Apr. 2026].
Findagrave.com. (2017). Private Hurtle Stanley Cleasby (1892-1918) - Find... [online] Available at: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56386866/hurtle-stanley-cleasby [Accessed 1 Apr. 2026].
https://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/sarcib/SRG76_1_7661.pdf. (n.d.).
Terrace, V. (2026). View digital copy. [online] Naa.gov.au. Available at:https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3253635&S=1 [Accessed 12 Mar. 2026].
vwma.org.au. (n.d.). 50th Infantry Battalion. [online] Available at: https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/6.
vwma.org.au. (n.d.). Australian Soldiers, Memorials and Military History. [online] Available at: https://vwma.org.au/#show-sign-in-dialog.
vwma.org.au. (n.d.). Virtual War Memorial. [online] Available at: https://vwma.org.au/explore/campaigns/19.
www.awm.gov.au. (n.d.). | The Australian War Memorial. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51490.
www.awm.gov.au. (n.d.). | The Australian War Memorial. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583.

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