Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Biography of John Tredwin Corry (1914–1954)

Early Life

John Tredwin Corry was born on 14 July 1914 at Queenstown, South Australia. He was the son of John Baptist Corry and Maggie May (née Tredwin, formerly Danvers).

John grew up in Alberton and Queenstown, within a blended family, as his mother had three older children from her first marriage to Charles William Danvers.

Marriage and Family

On 26 April 1941, at the Church of Christ, High Street, Queenstown, John married Hazel Jean Wilkinson. Hazel was born on 16 August 1920 at Glanville, South Australia, the daughter of John Wilkinson and Lavina Maud Synnott.

John and Hazel lived in Alberton during the war years, later moving to Seaton. Their marriage was tragically short-lived, as John passed away in 1954 when Hazel was still only 33.

After John’s death, Hazel remarried William Gilbert Martin, and she became known as Hazel Jean Martin. She lived in South Plympton, where she died on 23 January 1994, aged 73.

Military Service in World War II

Enlistment: John enlisted on 3 March 1941 at Alberton, aged 26. His occupation was listed as transport driver with F. & A. W. Barker of Port Adelaide.
Army Number: S31258
Unit: Began with the Australian Army Service Corps (AASC), later transferred to the 7 Workshop and Park Company, Royal Australian Engineers (RAE).

Service Highlights

Classified as Motor Driver (Running Repairs) and later Fitter Equipment (T.G.2) and Engineer Artificer.
Served in the Northern Territory from March 1942, part of the vital defensive effort in Australia’s north during the war.
Disciplinary note in March 1944 for failing to appear at parade but otherwise maintained a solid service record.
Served 1,435 days in total, including 1,358 days of continuous full-time active service in Australia.

Discharge

John was discharged on 10 January 1946 with the rank of Sapper. He was awarded the War Badge (No. 19061).

Later Life and Death

After the war, John returned to family life in Alberton and later moved to Seaton, South Australia. However, his postwar years were short, and he died on 27 June 1954 at Seaton, aged only 39 years.

He was laid to rest at Cheltenham Cemetery, Cheltenham, City of Charles Sturt, South Australia, in Section Q, Drive D, Path 3, Site Number 41C.

Legacy

John Tredwin Corry is remembered as:

A husband to Hazel Jean, whose life was shaped by early widowhood.
A wartime serviceman who supported Australia’s northern defences as a driver, fitter, and engineer artificer.
A man who gave five years of dedicated service during WWII but whose life was tragically cut short at a young age.

His widow Hazel went on to remarry and lived until 1994, closing the chapter of their story nearly 40 years after John’s passing.

Biography by Trevor Pyatt 18/08/2025

Ancestry Family Tree

John Tredwin CORRY
Birth 14 JUL 1914 • Queenstown, South Australia

Death 27 JUN 1954 • South Australia