PIGOU, Norris Griffen
(Service number 10657)
| First Rank | Gunner | Last Rank | Lance Corporal |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 5 March 1894 | Place of Birth | Tuamarina, Marlborough |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 11 January 1916 | Age | 21 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Geraldine | ||
| Occupation | Bank clerk (Bank NSW, Geraldine) | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | R. A. C. PIGOU (father), Spring Creek, Marlborough | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 12th Reinforcements, New Zealand Field Artillery, No. 6 Howitzer Battery | ||
| Date | 6 May 1916 | ||
| Transport | Mokoia or Navua | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | Suez, Egypt | |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | NZ Field Artillery | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Egyptian Expeditionary Force; Western European | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | British War Medal; Victory Medal | ||
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 | 9 May 1968 | Age | 74 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Palmerston Public Hospital, Palmerston North | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Cremated, ashes interred at Kelvin Grove Cemetery, Palmerston North | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Norris Griffen Pigou was born on 5 March 1894 at Tuamarina, Marlborough, the second son of Robert Arthur Comyn and Elizabeth Ellen (née Hunter) Pigou. He was a bank clerk with the Bank of New South Wales at Geraldine when he was medically examined there on 4 November 1915. He enlisted at Trentham on 11 January 1916. Single and Roman Catholic, he named his father as next-of-kin – R. A. C. Pigou, Spring Creek, Marlborough. Gunner N.G. Pigou embarked with No. 6 Howitzer Battery, New Zealand Field Artillery of the 12th Reinforcements, departing for Suez, Egypt on 6 May 1916.
He returned to New Zealand per the “Willochra”, embarking at Plymouth on 1 February 1918. He was discharged on 16 April 1918, no longer physically fit for war service on account of wounds received in action. He was permanently disabled as a result of gunshot wounds to his right wrist. He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Norris married Aline Guscott Davy in 1925. He died on 9 May 1968 at Palmerston Public Hospital, Palmerston North, aged 74 years. He was cremated, and his ashes were interred in Kelvin Grove Cemetery on 6 November 1969, a services plaque marking his plot. Norris was survived by his wife and family. Norris’ older brother, Arthur Comyn Pigou, who enlisted on the outbreak of war, died of influenza on 12 December 1918 at Gallipoli, having served in Egypt, Gallipoli and Palestine. A younger brother, William Roy Pigou, served in World War Two.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [20 April 2025]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [21 April 2025]; Kelvin Grove Cemetery records (Palmerston North City Council) [21 April 2025]; Kelvin Grove Cemetery plaque image (Find A Grave) [21 April 2025]
External Links
Related Documents
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Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC Genealogy Society
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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