John Cecil Currie

Brigadier John Cecil Currie (1898 – 26 June 1944) was a British Army officer who fought in both the First and the Second World Wars.

As commander of the 9th Armoured Brigade, he played a key role in the allied breakout from the town of El Alamein in what was to become the Second Battle of El Alamein in November 1942. He was killed in Normandy, France while leading the 4th Armoured Brigade in battle.

Early life John Cecil Currie was born at Westerham in 1898, the son of Brigadier General Arthur Cecil Currie (1863–1942), , Royal Artillery, and his wife, Amy Haggard.

Military career Early career Educated at Cheltenham College and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, Currie was commissioned into the Royal Field Artillery on 22 April 1915. He served in Mesopotamia in the First World War for which he was awarded the Military Cross.

He remained in the army during the interwar period, and, in the autumn of 1939 he was deployed to France with 2nd Field Regiment Royal Artillery, part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and then took part in the Dunkirk evacuation in June 1940. He then commanded the 4th Regiment Royal Horse Artillery at the Battle of Sidi Rezegh in November 1941 for which he was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order.

Second Battle of El Alemain In April 1942 Currie became commander of 9th Armoured Brigade.

Family On 9 December 1926 he married Marianne Charlotte Blackburn.