CURLING, William

William was born 1905 in Fareham, Hampshire to Charles Finch & Mabel (nee STONE) CURLING who were residing at 174 Carisbrooke Road, Newport at the time of William’s death. In 1911 the family were living at 16 Lukely Place, Carisbrooke Road, Newport. In 1926 at St. Mary's Church in Carisbrooke William married Alice Olive ROLF, who died in 1941.

William was awarded the Military Medal for his actions at Dunkirk in 1940. The medal was collected by his son 14-year-old Roy William CURLING from The King at Buckingham Palace in October 1943. Roy was living in Barton Road in Newport at this time.

William, aged 37, died whilst a prisoner of war on the 23rd of September 1942 & was originally buried at Altamura Civil Cemetery with other prisoners. His body was exhumed by the 30th Graves Concentration Unit & reburied at Bari War Cemetery in Italy on the 12th of September 1944. William rests beneath a Commission Headstone alongside over 2,000 of his Second World War comrades.

William is also remembered on the Newport Borough War Memorial.