Trooper James Alexander Curran
Survivor of WW2
Date of Death:
Service Biography
James Alexander Curran was born at Huntingdon, Quebec, on 20 February 1916. Before the war he worked on his father's farm. He enlisted in the Canadian Army at Montreal South, Quebec, on 20 March 1941 and served as a Trooper with the 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment, Canadian Armoured Corps. He served in Canada, the United Kingdom and Northwest Europe and qualified as a driver and Driver Mechanic Group C. He embarked from the United Kingdom on 10 June 1944 and disembarked in France on 11 June 1944. He returned to Canada in October 1945 and was discharged at Montreal South, Quebec, on 7 December 1945 on demobilization.
General Information
Conflict:
WW2
Regimental No.:
D3783
Cause of Death (in war):
Survived
Branch:
Army
Regiment:
Canadian Armoured Corps
Battalion:
17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment
Company:
Date of Birth :
Place of Birth:
Huntingdon, Quebec
Date of Enlistment:
Age at Enlistment:
25 years 1 month
Date of Discharge:
Age at Discharge:
29 years 9 months
Date of Death:
Age at Death:
69 years 9 months
Country Born:
Canada
Trade or Calling:
Farm labourer / farm work
Next of Kin:
Mrs. Katherine Curran, mother, Huntingdon, Quebec
Address at Enlistment:
Huntingdon, Quebec
Religion:
Roman Catholic
Place of Enlistment:
Montreal South, Quebec
Was a Prisoner of War:
No
Height:
5 ft 8.0 in / 173 cm
Weight:
140 lbs / 64 kg
Chest:
34.0 in / 86 cm
Expansion:
2.0 in / 5 cm
Marital Status:
Married
Prior Military Experience:
No
Saw Service in:
Europe
Place of Discharge:
Montreal South, Quebec
Discharge Type:
Regular/End of Service
Discharge Notes:
Battle Died/Wounded:
Length of Service:
1723 days in service
Buried at:
Links
Ranks
| Conflict |
Rank |
Regiment |
Branch |
Unit |
Company |
Date From |
Date To |
| WW2 |
Trooper |
Canadian Armoured Corps |
Army |
17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment |
|
|
|
| Default rank; only rank securely established across wartime service. |
Awards
| Conflict |
Award |
Action |
Date of Award |
Date of Citation |
Source |
| WW2 |
1939-45 Star |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
France and Germany Star |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Defence Medal |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
War Medal 1939-45 |
|
|
|
|
Service Chronology
1916-02-20 — Huntingdon, Quebec — Born.
1941-03-20 — Montreal South, Quebec — Enlisted in the Canadian Active Service Force as a Trooper.
1941-04-14 — 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars — Qualified Driver I/C Class III.
1941-05-07 — Debbert, Nova Scotia / 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars — Reported sick with multiple warts on lips and referred for surgical opinion.
1941-05-08 — Debbert Military Hospital, Nova Scotia — Cautery treatment for multiple warts of the lips; returned to duty.
1941-06-13 — Attached to Canadian Provost Corps Branch Detention Barracks for disciplinary ration and quarters.
1941-06-18 — Detention Barracks — Awarded 7 days detention; returned to unit after completion.
1941-08-20 — Canada / Canadian Army Overseas — Overseas service began for service/gratuity purposes.
1941-08-27 — Halifax, Nova Scotia — Embarked for overseas; struck off strength Canada.
1941-09-02 — Glasgow, Scotland — Disembarked in the United Kingdom.
1941-09-06 — Aldershot, England — Granted five days landing leave.
1942-01-23 — United Kingdom / 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars — Granted seven days leave.
1942-01-28 — United Kingdom / 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars — Qualified Driver Mechanic, Group C (W).
1942-01-28 — United Kingdom / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment — Dental treatment; five extractions recorded.
1942-04-09 — United Kingdom / 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars — Placed under stoppages of pay of 10 shillings to make good the cost of damage to a War Department vehicle.
1942-07-31 — United Kingdom — Granted seven days leave.
1942-08-25 — United Kingdom — Granted seven days privilege leave with ration allowance.
1942-10-09 — United Kingdom — Granted seven days privilege leave with ration allowance.
1942-11-01 — United Kingdom — Granted seven days privilege leave with ration allowance.
1943-07-01 — United Kingdom / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment — Remustered Driver Mechanic M.V., Group C.
1943-09-01 — United Kingdom / No. 1 Canadian Special Hospital — Admitted with V.D.G.
1943-09-13 — United Kingdom / No. 1 Canadian Special Hospital — Discharged to duty after 13 days' hospitalization.
1943-12-21 — United Kingdom / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment — Blood test for VDG test of cure; Kahn negative.
1944-06-07 — Northwest Europe / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment — Northwest Europe theatre service began for service-record purposes.
1944-06-10 — United Kingdom / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment — Embarked from the United Kingdom for Northwest Europe.
1944-06-11 — France / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment — Disembarked in France.
1944-08-06 — Northwest Europe / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment — Seen for general warts/fever and evacuated through field medical units.
1944-08-07 — Northwest Europe — Blood specimen received; Kahn test negative.
1944-08-08 — Northwest Europe — Evacuated onward through field medical chain toward No. 1 Canadian General Hospital.
1945-02-06 — Northwest Europe → United Kingdom / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment — Granted nine days privilege leave to the United Kingdom.
1945-02-20 — Northwest Europe / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment — Returned from privilege leave to the United Kingdom.
1945-07-25 — Canadian Army Overseas — Dental examination/treatment recorded.
1945-09-16 — Embarked from Northwest Europe for the United Kingdom.
1945-09-17 — Disembarked in the United Kingdom.
1945-10-20 — United Kingdom / Canadian Army Overseas — Struck off strength Canadian Army Overseas; overseas service terminated.
1945-10-31 — Returned to service in Canada.
1945-11-02 — Canada / No. 4 District Depot — Reported from Canadian Army Overseas and granted leave with ration allowance.
1945-12-06 — Montreal South, Quebec / Canadian Dental Corps — Dental examination found a satisfactory complete denture could not be made because of missing teeth, ridges and defects.
1945-12-07 — Montreal South, Quebec / No. 4 District Depot — Discharged as Trooper on demobilization.
1945-12-07 — Montreal South, Quebec / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment — Tradesmen's Qualifications certificate records Driver Mechanic Group C and civilian equivalent '2nd class garage side.'
Notes
Born at Huntingdon, Quebec, on 20 February 1916. He completed Grade 6 at Huntingdon in 1930. From 1930 until enlistment he worked on his father's farm, including one winter lumbering in 1938. At enlistment he was single, Roman Catholic, and named his mother, Mrs. Katherine Curran of Huntingdon, as next of kin; his father Martin Curran was a farmer. His enlistment medical examination recorded height 5 ft 8 in, weight 140 lb, chest 34 in with 2 in expansion, blue eyes and dark hair. His postwar re-establishment interview described him as fully trained as a soldier and qualified Driver Mechanic Group C. Postwar records show him at R.R. #3, Huntingdon, Quebec, and later at Lacolle, Quebec.
[Previous notes - manual reconciliation required]
Born Huntingdon. Enlisted March 21. 1941,
Cemetery: Cimetière Saint-Joseph Burial or Cremation Place: Huntingdon, Monteregie Region, Quebec, Canada HSpouse: Margaret C. Curran Children: Paula Ruth Curran; Patrick James Curran; Martin Edward Curran
Request confirmation number EA2026_0172726
Additional Service Notes
Served in the Canadian Army from 20 March 1941 to 7 December 1945 with the 17th Duke of York's Royal Canadian Hussars / 7th Canadian Reconnaissance Regiment, Canadian Armoured Corps. He qualified as Driver I/C Class III on 14 April 1941 and later as Driver Mechanic Group C. He embarked at Halifax on 27 August 1941, disembarked at Glasgow on 2 September and received landing leave at Aldershot. He embarked from the United Kingdom on 10 June 1944 and disembarked in France on 11 June 1944. He embarked from Northwest Europe on 16 September 1945 and disembarked in the United Kingdom on 17 September, before being struck off strength Canadian Army Overseas on 20 October 1945. He received the 1939-45 Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp, and War Medal 1939-45. War Service Gratuity records credit 57 complete qualifying service periods and 1,519 qualifying overseas days. He was discharged as a Trooper at Montreal South, Quebec, on 7 December 1945 on demobilization.
Additional Next of Kin Notes
At enlistment he was single. The 20 March 1941 family form explicitly records no wife and no children. His mother, Mrs. Katherine Curran of Huntingdon, Quebec, was next of kin; his father Martin Curran, a farmer, was also living at Huntingdon. The 1945 re-establishment card records him as married, but no secure spouse name or marriage date/place has been found in the service file.
Version: 3 Last modified: 2026-09-19 18:52:11
by: marc
