Royal Navy Veteran Lewis Curl Dies at 98
Able Seaman Lewis Curl, a Royal Navy veteran of World War II, passed away on May 22, 2023, at age 98 at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester, West Sussex. Curl was a member of the Bognor Regis branch of the Royal Naval Association and a D-Day survivor.
Curl served from 1942 to 1946, during which he participated in various critical missions. He started as a cypher coder on HMS Belfast but was recalled to join HMS Dacres off Le Havre, France. During transit, his freighter was bombed and sunk. Curl survived by swimming ashore and securing a series of lifts to reach the naval base.
Curl also served on HMS Loch Glendhu for submarine surveillance and HMS Swiftsure in the Far East, where he contracted a tropical disease. Left behind in a hospital due to his illness, he was found to be the only survivor a week later and was subsequently repatriated to the UK.
Throughout his service, Curl was awarded several decorations, including the 1938/45 Medal, Victory Medal, Atlantic Star and Bar, Burma Star, France and Germany Star, and Civil Medal.