NORRIS, Patrick
(Service number 23230)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank | Private |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 14/06/1882 | Place of Birth | Bridge O'Weir, Scotland |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 1 November 1916 | Age | 33 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Paihiatua, New Zealand | ||
| Occupation | Boilermaker | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Mr B. Dunstall (friend), 41 Riverbank, Wanganui, New Zealand | ||
Military Service
| Served with | New Zealand Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Rifle Brigade | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 13th Reinforcements, H Company | ||
| Date | 27 July 1916 | ||
| Transport | HMNZT 55 Tofua | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington, New Zealand | Destination | Devonport, England |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | New Zealand Area Employment Company | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | 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 | 13 December 1918 | Age | 34 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Wanganui,Manawatu, New Zealand | ||
| Cause | Died of complications from influenza | ||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Aramoho Cemetery, Wanganui, New Zealand | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | On Memorial wall, Timaru; Waimate First World War Memorial, Memorial Archway, Waimate | ||
Biographical Notes
Patrick Norris was born at Bridge O Weir, Renfrewshire, Scotland on 14 June 1882. He was a boilermaker, residing at Paihaitua when he enlisted on 1 November 1916. His last employer was an A Carlson of Otaki. He claimed to be single but named his daughter Annie Norris of 4 Ferguson St, Johnstone, Renfrew, Scotland in his army will. He was Roman Catholic, 5ft 5in, 127lbs, of fair complexion, with bluish grey eyes, fair and scanty hair. His next of kin was given as his friend Mr B Dunstall of 41 Riverbank, Wanganui.
Norris was attached to 13th Reinforcements, H Company of NZ Rifle Brigade and embarked at Wellington on 27 July 1916 on the Tofua, disebmarking at Devonport. Norris served at Codford Depot on the Salisbury Plain until November 1917 when he was sent to France as part of the NZ Area Employment Coy but a C classification by the Medical Board sent him back to England in July 1918. He was arrested as an absentee in Edinburgh in August, incurring a fine of 4 shillings and fourpence before heading back to New Zealand in September 1918. He suffered dyspepsia over the next few weeks – he was attending Wanganui Hospital as an outpatient in October and perhaps his weakened state contributed to him contracting the influenza that was rampant around the world at that time. He died from influenza complications at Wanganui Hospital on 13 December 1918 and is buried at Wanganui (Aramoho) Cemetery.
Norris’s age fluctuated during his time with the NZ Army. His attestation papers note he is 33, but the attesting sergeant wrote “looks older” beside the number, while a Wanganui hospital report in October 1917, just one year later, says he is 48. His newspaper death entry though gave his age as 26.
Patrick's connection to South Canterbury is unclear.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [August 2013 and June 2021]; Commonwealth War Graves Commission website (http://www.cwgc.org/); 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.