Hubert Charles Sullivan
- Born: 5 Sep 1894, Narrandera,,New South Wales,Australia
- Marriage (1): Audrey I Stevens in 1925 in Narrandera,,New South Wales,Australia
- Marriage (2): Olive Hilda Eason in 1942 in Leeton, New South Wales, Australia
- Died: 12 Mar 1979 at age 84
- Buried: 1979, R/C Plan B Section, Narrandera Cemetery, Narrandera, New South Wales, Australia
Another name for Hubert was Curly.
General Notes:
Curly, as he was known, signed up for the AIF on 8 April 1917. He was single, aged 22 years and 7 months and working as a Tailor. He'd been apprenticed to Slater & Oddie in Narrandera. He listed his mother, Rose, of Audley St, Narrandera as his next of kin. He was described as 5' 5 1/2" tall, weighng 115 lbs, with a fair complexion, blue eyes and brown curly hair. His religion was Roman Catholic. Given the service number 2521, and the rank of Private, he was assigned to the 21st Reinforcements /12th Light Horse - the Riverina Light Horse - and despatched to the Royal Agricultural Showgrounds in Sydney for training.
By the 19 October 1917 he was disembarking the Kyarra in Suez, Egypt and proceeded to the Moascar training camp. Within just a couple of weeks he was admitted to hospital suffering mumps , and then Diptheria and he remained in hospital until 17 December. He rejoined his unit on 1 January 1918.
The 12th Light Horse joined the forces defending the Suez Canal on 14 May 1916. In ensuing months it conducted patrols and participated in several forays out into the Sinai Desert. In April 1917 the regiment moved into Palestine to join the main British and dominion advance. It joined its first major battle on 19 April when it attacked, dismounted, as part of the ill-fated second battle of Gaza.
With two frontal attacks on Gaza having failed, the next attempt to capture the Turkish bastion was a wide outflanking move via the town of Beersheba, launched on 31 October 1917. A deteriorating tactical situation late on the first day of the operation caused the 12th and it's sister regiment, the 4th, to be unleashed on Beersheba at the gallop - an action which has gone down in history as the charge of Beersheba.
After Gaza fell on 7 November 1917, Turkish resistance in southern Palestine collapsed. The 12th Light Horse participated in the pursuit that followed, and then spent the first months of 1918 resting and training. It moved into the Jordan Valley in time to participate in the Es Salt raid between 29 April and 4 May. The regiment subsequently manned defences on the west bank of the Jordan.
In August, the regiment was issued with swords and trained in traditional cavalry tactics in preparation for the next offensive against the Turks. This was launched along the Palestine coast on 19 September 1918 - it's objective, Damascus. The mounted forces penetrated deep into the Turkish rear areas severing roads, railways and communications links. The 12th Light Horse was one of the first Australian units to enter Damascus on 2 October 1918. The regiment was soon involved in the next stage of the advance and was on its way to Homs when the Turks surrendered on 30 October. While awaiting to embark for home, the 12th Light Horse were called back to operational duty to quell the Egyptian revolt that erupted in March 1919; order was restored in little over a month. The regiment sailed for home on 20 July 1919. Source: Australian War Memorial website: https://www.awm.gov.au/unit/U51046/
During August 1918 Curly spent some weeks in Hospital suffering from Fever, scabies, and eventually chronic bronchitis as well. He was declared Medically Fit "B2" meaning he was only fit enough to undertake sedentary duties. The war ended soon after and on 19 January 1919 Curly was on his way home to Australia on board the Orsova. He arrived home 3 March and was discharged from the AIF on medical grounds on 26 March 1919.
Private Hubert Charles Sullivan was the recipient of the British War Medal, No. 15636 and the Victory medal No. 72236.
Hubert married Audrey I Stevens, daughter of James Stevens and Margaret Unknown, in 1925 in Narrandera,,New South Wales,Australia. (Audrey I Stevens died in 1937 in Leeton, New South Wales, Australia.)
Hubert next married Olive Hilda Eason in 1925 in Narrandera,,New South Wales,Australia.
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