Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

David Curran was born in Belfast Ireland in January 1879. He was the son of Samuel and Esther Curran of County Down, Ireland. He had at least one brother.

He immigrated to Australia in 1907 and was working as a carpenter in Victoria at the outbreak of the Great War. He enlisted at Werribee, Victoria on 25th of June 1915 and was allocate to the 1st reinforcements of the Australian Flying Unit as an Air Mechanic. Noting that his trade as a carpenter was probably instrumental in this allocation. 

David was described as being 36 1/2 years old, five feet seven and a half inches tall with a ruddy complexion, blue eyes and dark brown hair. 

He embarked from Melbourne aboard RMS Persia on the 10th of August 1915 bound for Mesopotamia and the Mesopotamian Half-Flight. Travelling via India, David arrived and was taken on strength from the 18th of September 1915. He was allocated to 'D' Flight. 

During the siege of Kut-el-Amara in April 1916, the aircraft of the Half-Flight were withdrawn but the Air Mechanics were left behind to fend for themselves. As such David was captured by the Turkish forces in the general surrender on 29 April 1916 and marched off into captivity. 

Thousands of British, Indian, and other Dominion troops were marched North through Mesopotamia to POW camps in Turkey. An extract from the book by Kate Arioti 'Captive ANZACS' describes this march:

'The Troops from the garrison, already weak from the siege, were separated from the Officers, formed into columns, and force marched over a thousand kilometres North into Turkey. Tied together and harassed by hostile Bedouins along the way, the prisoners were robbed of their clothing, boots, and personal possessions or were forced to exchange them for food. Offered only limited rations, water, shelter, or medical assistance, in their feeble state many suffered from dysentery, malaria, ulcerated feet, and exposure. Upon reaching the Anatolian border, the Kut prisoners travelled by train and on foot further into the countryside to the internment camps. Only two of the original group of nine Australians survived the last stage of their journey'

David was already weakened by the conditions suffered during the siege and according to his surviving mates, suffered terribly on the march. David is reported to have died at Nisibin, Mesopotamia, on the 16th of June 1916 aged 37. Nisibin is now known as Nusaybin and is on the Turkish/Syrian Border. Records in the National Archives of Australia, and in the AWM state either June 1916 or June 1917 as his date of death. Noting he was captured in Kut in April 1916 and marched to Turkey, and Nisibin is on this route, he is more likely to have died in 1916 than 1917. Additionally, in a letter written by CAPT Thomas White in April 1917, he mentions the death of David Curran. A fellow Air Mechanic, KL Hudson described David's death:

"Curran died in June or July 1916 in Hospital at Nisi-Bin [sic]. He suffered badly from fever on the desert march and from exhaustion and exposure followed by malarial fever, for which he had practically no treatment. Formerly he was a strong, powerful man but became a walking skeleton"

Post war the Department of Defence was still trying to ascertain the fates of some men. Former POW were asked to recall any men that they knew had died, their cause of death, and their burial locations. Lieutenant Leslie Henry Luscombe of the 14th Battalion who was captured on the 8th of August 1915 at Gallipoli stated: 

"I Lieutenant L.H. Luscombe 14th Battalion a repatriated prisoner of war, know that the following men who were captured at Kut 29.4.16 DIED at the places stated.

Air Mechanic WILLIAMS J..........Died at Adana

Air Mechanic ADAMS F .............Died at Adana

Air Mechanic CURRAN ..............Died at Nasebin [sic]

Air Mechanic SOLEY .................Died at Nasebin [sic]

I do not know the caused (sic) or the dates of the death of these men."

Captain Thomas William White (MID) a pilot captured at Kut also mentions David Curran in a 1919 interview. In part it states:

"The following Mechanics of the Australian Flying Corps were made prisoners in Kut-el-Amara.  Air Mechanic Curran.........DIED in Nisibin about June 16th."

From the time David was reported to have been captured, until the early 1920’s his mother Esther was seeking information regarding his fate. She wrote numerous letters to various authorities. The Department of Defence had no idea what had happened and it was only through the correspondence from other POWs that Esther and Samuel learned of David's death, but this wasn't until August 1917. Even then there was enough doubt in their minds that there was some mistake; it must have been so heartbreaking trying to find out what had happened. CAPT Thomas White wrote to Esther from Afion Kara Hissar in November 1917:

"Dear Mrs Curran, I regret that I know little of your Son's death except that he was reported as having died in hospital at Niabin [sic] near Mosul, in Aug 1916, the cause of death not being stated. I am sorry too that I am not free to make further enquiries........"

David did not leave a will and any personal effects were likely looted by the Turks or exchanged for food. To make Esther's life even harder, Samuel died in January 1918.  When David emigrated to Australia in 1907, he did not maintain contact with his family in Ireland. His mother had not heard from him ‘in years’. She wrote in one of her letters in 1918

"The first intimation I received that my son had enlisted in the Australian Flying Corps was receipt of letter dated January 30th 1917 from A.I.F"

She continued to hold out hope that he may be alive when she wrote "I am still hoping against hope that the sad news of my son's death may, even yet, turn out to be untrue. Mistakes often happen in times of war."

Esther produced a memorial card in honour of David (see pictures). This also has the 1917 date of death.  

In 1927 when the scattered war cemeteries were consolidated into the Baghdad, North Gate Cemetery, the Imperial War Graves Commission wrote to the Australian Graves Service stating:

'Will you please note that the careful investigation has been made regarding the grave of the soldier named on the attached location sheet who was originally buried in Nisibin Cemetery. It was found necessary to remove the bodies of the British sailors and soldiers buried in this cemetery and to rebury them in Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery, Iraq, in order to secure reverent maintenance of the graves in perpetuity. It is very much regretted, however, that when this work was undertaken, the grave of Air Mechanic D Curran could not be found and in view of the investigations which have been made, it is feared it can only be said that all trace of his grave has been lost'

As at April 2019, David's headstone in the Baghdad North Gate Cemetery could not be located. All 40 other Australian soldiers have a headstone. He is recorded as being memorialised on the 'Nisibin Memorial 227' however there is no Nisibin memorial to be found. It is possible that he never had a headstone as initially soldiers were to be memorialised on a central ‘Kipling’ memorial. This was never constructed and the men were given individual headstones with specific inscriptions stating whether they were buried near the spot, or buried elsewhere due to being unable to locate their graves. So perhaps David’s individual headstone was missed? We can only speculate.

Other place of birth was given as Belfast, County Antrim, Ireland

Arriveds in Australia at the age of 29 Years

Son of Samuel and Esther Curran of Mallad, Rahulp, Downpatrick, County County.

Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal