The Soldier's Details

Currie enlisted AIF 26 June 1940 and later joined 2/4th’s ‘B’ Company Headquarters as Corporal to CO Capt. Bunning.

Please read about River Valley Road Camp where Stan was accommodated for a time during 1942.

Stan ‘Sue’ Currie departed Singapore during March 1943 with ‘D’ Force S Battalion to work on the Burma-Thai Railway.  The Camps he would have worked at include Tarsau and Konyu II. The other camps recorded below are an estimation as there are no records.

Following completion of the railway, POWs were brought to one of four main southern Thailand camps which were used as a collection point.  From here the Japanese selected the fittest to work in Japan.  Currie was involved in burial parties whilst at Non Pladuk POW Camp which left Singapore 2 February 1945 and was with the last party to leave to work overseas.  He was at Nacompaton from August 1943 to July 1944 and was selected with Both Party, which left Singapore 2 February 1945 and was the last party to leave to work overseas.

He was in Saigon on 2 February 1845 and  participated in aerodrome construction and was at Saigon Docks Camps No. 8.  He arrived in Singapore ex-Saigon 20 September 1945.

He was recovered from Saigon at the end of the war. Others to be sent to Saigon include Ron Badock and ‘Whispering’ Smith.

Read about ‘Both’ Party and Saigon

Health notes:  Stan was admitted to AGH Singapore 6 May 1942 with abdominal tumour.  In June Stan was transferred to No. 2 Convalescant Depot with epigartric hernia.   He was admitted again in July 1942 with Dengue Fever.

Stan was nicknamed and known as ‘Sue’ most of his life has been passed onto us.  The Currie family resided in Claremont. At that time the land was sparsely housed.   Very close to the family was an orchard and vegetable garden owned by a Chinese man by the name of ‘Su’.  Stan had a habit of picking apples from Mr. Su’s apple trees and hence the family called him ‘Sue’, which probably should be spelled ‘Su’.

Sue Currie stuck with him throughout his life!

Stan was the youngest of four sons and 2 daughters born to Thomas Currie and Janet (Jessie) Kilpatrick who married in 1890 England.

Stan’s father Thomas died in 1923, he was the Claremont Municapal Council’s gardener.  Stan was about 21 years of age.  Employed as a driver, Stan was mentioned in the newspapers having received fines for speeding, over-length load, etc.  Probably a little wild without a Father’s discipline and influence!!

Stan Currie married Ena Mary Walsh in Perth 1933.  Previously Stan had resided in Albert Street with his mother Jessie Currie.  Stan and Ena resided in Shenton Road, Claremont until he enlisted in 1940.

Stans’s mother Jessie, died in August 1945 and sadly would not have seen her son since 1941.

Stan died in 1977 aged 74 years and Ena lived a long life until 1995 and died aged 93 years.

Sue Currie was in Saigon with Ron Badock – after the war the two men remained close mates.  The Badock children recall visiting Sue Currie with their Dad – always wondering why he was called ‘Sue’ – decades before Johnny Cash’s song ‘The boy named Sue’.