Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

Noel Storrier Johnson was born on 16 December 1894 at Auckland, the youngest son of Samuel Clarke (known as Clarke) and Elizabeth McKenzie (née Storrier) Johnson. Young Noel spent the whole year at Timaru South School in 1905, under the guardianship of James Storrier. In July 1915 a Roll of Honour board was unveiled at Timaru South School, containing the names of twenty ex-pupils who had joined the New Zealand Expeditionary forces – including N. Johnston [sic]. Five of them had already given their lives. On unveiling the board, the Rev. T. Stinson said that it would remind boys and girls of the brave young men who had belonged to the school, and of their self-sacrificing devotion to the cause of honour and freedom. The ceremony concluded with the sounding of “The Last Post” by cadet-buglers. His further education was at Wellington College and Victoria University College.

Noel Johnson had enlisted on 8 May 1915 at Trentham. He was serving with the 5th Wellington, C Company. A law clerk, residing at home, he named his father as next-of-kin – S. C. Johnson, Karori Road, Wellington. Lieutenant N. S. Johnson embarked with the New Zealand Rifle Brigade at Wellington on 5 February 1916. On 12 February 1917 he was reported wounded. Shortly after his was reported as a severe case. Johnson had his left foot amputated. A telegram received on 4 March 1918 advised that Captain Noel Storrier Johnson had been awarded one of thirteen overseas sailor and soldier scholarships have been donated by the Rhodes Trustees and the Kitchener National Memorial Fund, tenable at various universities. His was tenable at Oxford. “Captain N. S. Johnson, N.Z.R.B., who was awarded one of the January Overseas Sailor and Soldier Scholarships on the recommendation of Victoria College, Wellington, is now in residence at Magdalen College, Oxford, as a law student. His scholarship was given by the Rhodes Trustees. Captain Johnson writes that he is very happily situated at Magdalen, “although, of course, it is not the same as pre-war Oxford days; we find plenty of amusement in our spells of relaxation.” Captain Johnson was rendered unfit for active service by the loss of his left leg and by paralysis of the right foot.” [Evening Post. 12 April 1918.]

On 16 July 1918 at the Parish Church, Henley-on-Thames, Noel Johnson married Margaret Asenath Danvers (Peggie). 26/506 Capt. N. S. Johnson, of Wellington, came home by Returning Draft 191 (Remuera) which was due to arrive in October 1918. He was admitted as a solicitor in February 1920. Noel S. Johnson addressed a commission which was inquiring into the legislation concerning war pensions in October 1922. “Noel S. Johnson, barrister, a below-the-knee amputee, estimated that his artificial limb cost him about £15 per year extra in clothing. There was no doubt that every amputee was a very heavy loser financially through the wear caused upon his clothing. He considered that £10 and £8 for upper and lower leg amputees respectively would not fully cover the expense involved by continuous wear and tear. All the limbless men desired was some recognition from the Government for the expense they incurred. The amounts asked, which had been formulated at meetings of returned disabled men throughout the Dominion, were very conservative, and the average extra expenditure caused through wear and. tear upon clothing would be something like £12 or £18 per year, according to the occupation of the man.” [Evening Post. 4 Oct 1922.]

Four sons were born to Noel and Margaret, the oldest and youngest in New Zealand, the second and third in England. Noel and Margaret moved from Wellington to Hamilton in 1923. They divorced in 1930. In 1936 he married Ethel Hayward Hammond. During the 1930s he was attached to the New Zealand Army Legal Department. His third son, Samuel Graham Johnson, served with the Royal New Zealand Air Force in World War Two. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in October 1943. The following January he was killed in action. Their eldest son, Theo Faire Storrier Johnson, was a prisoner of War in Germany from August 1940 until May 1945 when he reached safety in England.

Noel Storrier died on 23 October 1963 at Hamilton, aged 68 years. He was buried at Hamilto Newstead Cemetery where a services plaque marks his grave. His brother, George Chettle Johnson, also served with the New Zealand forces in World War One.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [08 August 2022]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [08 August 2022]; School Admission record (South Canterbury Branch NZSG) [08 August 2022]; Hamilton Cemetery record [08 August 2022], Hamilton Cemetery headstone image (Find A Grave) [08 August 2022]; Timaru Herald, 23 July 1915, Evening Post, 4 March 1918, 12 April 1918, 14 October 1918, 4 October 1922, Press, 5 September 1918, 25 October 1963, NZ Times, 26 February 1920, Waikato Times, 19 October 1943, 15 May 1945, NZ Herald, 28 January 1944 (Papers Past) [08 August 2022]

External Links

• Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph record
• Military personnel file
• Other military personnel file

Related Documents

• JOHNSON-Noel-Storrier-newspaper-clippings.pdf (pdf, 668.5 KB updated 26-Aug-2022)

Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC Genealogy Society

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.