NORRIE, Robert Daniel
(Service number 24/1151)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank | Second Lieutenant |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 19 November 1890 | Place of Birth | Timaru |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 29 May 1915 | Age | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | C/- CFCA Waimate | ||
| Occupation | Grocer | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs Margaret Norrie (mother) C.- A.C Martin, accountant, Beverley Rd, Timaru | ||
Military Service
| Served with | New Zealand Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Rifle Brigade | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 2nd Battalion | ||
| Date | 9 October 1915 | ||
| Transport | HMNZT 30 Maunganui, or HMNZT 31 Tahiti, or HMNZT 32 Aparima, or HMNZT 33 Navua, or HMNZT 34 Warrimoo | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington, New Zealand | Destination | Suez, Egypt |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | NZ Rifle Brigade, 3rd Battalion, B Coy | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Western European | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | British War Medal, Victory Medal, 1914/15 Star | ||
Award Circumstances and Date
No information
Prisoner of War Information
| Date of Capture | |
|---|---|
| Where Captured and by Whom | |
| Actions Prior to Capture | |
| PoW Serial Number | |
| PoW Camps | |
| Days Interned | |
| Liberation Date |
Death
| Date | 15 September 1916 | Age | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Somme, France | ||
| Cause | Killed in action | ||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Caterpillar Valley (NZ) Memorial, Caterpillar Valley Cemetery, Longueval, Somme, France | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Robert Daniel Norrie was born in Timaru on 19 November 1890, the son of Margaret and William McKechnie Norrie. At the time of his enlistment he was a grocer working for the CFCA in Waimate and he gave his next of kin as his mother Margaret Norrie, C/- A.E Martin, accountant, Beverley Rd, Timaru. He was described as 24, single, Presbyterian, 5ft 10in tall, weighing 11st 6lbs, complexion medium (fresh colour), eyes grey, hair medium brown.
Robert was appointed sergeant on 26 July 1915 and embarked with the NZ Rifle Brigade, 3rd Battalion on 9 October 1915 at Wellington for Suez and Egypt and then on to the Western Front. He was reported wounded 19 July 1916, but recovered and returned to the front. In August he was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant but only the following month he was killed in action on 15 September 1916. He is remembered on Caterpillar Valley (NZ) Memorial in Longueval, Somme, France.
The Timaru Herald of 23 September 1916 reported: "The flag at the CFCA was flying at half mast yesterday out of respect to the memory of 2nd Lieutenant R.D Norrie whose death at the Front was recorded in yesterday’s issue. The deceased, who was honorary secretary to the Star Football Club in Timaru, was of a very bright and happy disposition and was an exceedingly popular young man. He suffered a good deal from rheumatism and his friends were surprised when they learned that he had enlisted at Waimate where he was employed by the CFCA having been transferred there on promotion from the CFCA in Timaru. He was promoted to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant shortly before he was killed. His mother is Mrs M. Norrie of Beverley Rd, Timaru and Mrs A.C Martin is his only sister."
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph [June 2021]; Timaru Herald, NZ Reg Gen; NZ Defence Force Personnel Records [June 2021]
External Links
Related Documents
No documents available.
Researched and Written by
Maree Bowen, SC branch NZSG; Carol Bell, SC branch NZSG
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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