Curry, Phillip Samuel – NX32658
Phil Curry, M. C. O.A.M.
Captain Phil Curry, M.C.
As a Lieutenant, and later Captain, he showed outstanding gallantry and leadership in serving with A Company in the Kokoda, Lae, Ramu Valley, Shaggy Ridge and Balikpapan campaigns. At Balikpapan he was awarded the Military Cross for saving many lives after leading a highly dangerous mission through jungles and rugged country to outflank and attack the enemy from the rear, inflicting heavy casualties.
After the war, no one worked more tirelessly for the 2/33rd Battalion Association; he served a record 41 years as Association President, from 1964 to 2005.
Phil was born in East Maitland on April 21, 1914, the eldest of four children for Mary and Michael Curry. Brother Frank followed only 11 months later, then Jack and Nell, three and four years after respectively. It was from the beginning and would always remain, a very close, loving family. The Currys lived in Vere NSW. The area’s small public school was under threat of closure and desperate to reach the quota of students, so not only was Phil enrolled at age four, but Frank, aged three was also enrolled under strict instructions from his mother that he be allowed his regular afternoon sleep.
Life at Vere was however to get tougher so around 1920, the family moved to Sydney where Michael found work as a truck driver for a company that manufactured concrete pipes. The family first lived in Marrickville then Arncliffe and finally, when Phil was 11, to Bexley where Mary and Michael Phil Curry, M. C. O.A.M. Captain Phil Curry, M.C. would spend the rest of their lives.
Phil’s high school years were spent at Marist Brothers Kogarah. He left in 1929 at the start of the Great Depression and found work with the Australian General Electric Coy where he stayed for nine years. He went on to manage McIlrath Grocery stores, firstly in Mosman, then Bexley where he was working when he enlisted.
In June 1940, with war declared in Europe, Phil and his brother Frank enlisted in the AIF on the same day at Paddington NSW. and did their initial training at the Arncliffe Army depot. Following this, they went into camp at Wallgrove, Sydney and were fortunate to avoid being reinforcements for the ill-fated 2/18th Battalion which was captured with the fall of Singapore and whose men spent the war as prisoners in Changi or on the infamous Burma Railroad.
He was then selected for officer training in Liverpool. When commissioned he was posted to the 2/33rd Battalion stationed in Palestine. This was to be a turning point in Phil’s life. The men he served with in the 2/33rd were to become his closest lifelong friends. The Battalion, which had just helped defeat the Vichy French in Syria, spent several weeks in Palestine before boarding the U.S.S. Mt Vernon to return home on the orders of the Prime Minister, John Curtin, to help defend Australia against the Japanese. Curry’s baptism of fire was on the Kokoda Track, as he and all Australian soldiers preferrd to call it rather than the Americanised Trail dictated by General MacArthur. Curry distinguished himself as a courageous and outstanding leader as O.C. of 12 Platoon A Company.
One of many examples of his extraordinary courage was a few days before the Battalion, battle-weary, exhausted and down to eight officers and 128 other ranks from the 625 men who had started the Kokoda campaign, was withdrawn from action at Gona.
After 98 days of fighting, 47 had been killed, 122 wounded and more than 260 evacuated with disease.
In a letter written 25 years after the war, fellow Lieutenant, Kevin Power, paid Phil Curry the ultimate tribute for his bravery at Gona in standing alone under heavy fire attacking the enemy with a two-inch mortar.
Power wrote: “Phil was out in the open, alone and unprotected firing a two inch mortar by himself until it was too hot to handle.” Mortars are normally fired by two or three men. Power described the sight of Curry, showing no fear, firing round-after-round from the mortar under heavy enemy fire as one of his most outstanding memories of the Kokoda campaign.
Curry continued to show outstanding courage and leadership during the Lae, Ramu Valley, Shaggy Ridge and Balikpapan campaigns. By Balikpapan he had been promoted to Captain and Officer Commanding A Company. His award of the Military Cross was for saving many lives on the first day of the amphibious landing when intense machine gun fire from two enemy posts held up the Battalion’s advance from the beachhead.
To break the deadlock he led his company in a wide encircling movement across rugged, densely-wooded and hazardous country to attack the enemy from the rear, routing them and inflicting heavy casualties. This allowed the whole Brigade front to advance. His citation read: “Throughout the whole campaign Captain Curry displayed outstanding qualities of leadership, courage and determination which were an inspiration to his company.” His war service ended with his discharge on April 29, 1946.
After the war, Phil was employed in the Sydney office of J Leutenegger Pty Ltd in Sydney. He remained the Sydney manager of this millinery and soft goods company until the early 70’s. He then transferred to a second division of the company, Leutenegger Books which had links to William Collins Publishing and became Administration Manager of William Collins Pty Ltd until his retirement in 1979. He married Joan Simpson on 31st January 1953 and immediately moved into the family home in Bardwell Park where they would live until moving to Caringbah in 1994.
Joan and Phil raised three children, Stephen, Margaret and Michael in a happy environment. In 1995, Phil was made a member of the Order of Australia for his services in providing for the welfare of the 2/33rd Battalion members, their widows and families and the community.
He passed away peacefully on February 26, 2005, at the age of 90.
Phil and Joan Curry made a great team during Phil’s record 41 years as President of the 2/33rd Battalion Association. Joan gave unwavering support and dedication, which was honoured in her later life by being made the first female Patron of the Association.
Throughout all of her married life, Joan worked tirelessly for the 2/33rd and it became a standard family joke that she had not only married Phil, but the whole Battalion. Her unwavering support and dedication were honoured in her later life by being made the first female Patron of the Association.
Phil and Joan’s daughter, Margi Squires, has served as the Association Secretary for a number of years. Here are some of her reflections of her father: “It’s hard to find the best single word to describe Dad.
He was a thorough gentleman, proud, honourable, very sociable, modest, stubborn, determined and genuine. He loved a beer or two and a red wine. He had an infectious love of life and didn’t know his limitations. Climbing ladders and giant trees, the Harbour Bridge when he was 86 all gave him joy. He loved to be present when major Sydney structures were opened – Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Harbour Tunnel, the Woronora Bridge and Pyrmont Bridge.
“Dad loved sport. He was an excellent tennis player in his younger days and a passionate golfer and thoroughly enjoyed watching football and tennis, especially Wimbledon which we would watch together whilst everyone else was in bed. “I have very fond memories of the Association functions Dad and Mum had parts in organising. In the early days, there was the Christmas party for all the kids. Santa came and presents were handed out, it was a huge party!
Then came the annual Battalion picnic at Lane Cove National Park. There would be treats for the kids and sack and running races for all and tug-o-war for the men.
Each year Dad would run in the sprints, until it got to the point where in his later life, he was under serious threat of doing major damage to himself, I asked him to promise me he would stop. He did, but it wasn’t easy. “Dad attended and often read eulogies at funerals for many of the Battalion men and felt the passing of each one deeply. None more so than when Pat Maloney and Merv Roberts died. In their last few years, Dad would speak to both almost on a daily basis.
“I am so proud of the work both Dad and Mum did for the 2/33rd and am grateful for discovering even more since joining the Association committee”