Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Written and submitt by his 2nd Cousin - Lynne Victorsen-Bennett

Lieutenant Norman Leslie Weynand (1894 to 1916) [1]

7th Infantry (Moreton Regiment), 9th Infantry Battalion

Norman Leslie Weynand was born 9th February 1894, in the small Queensland country town of Allora, to blacksmith Henry Weynand a veteran of the Franco Prussian war and his wife Frances nee Anderson.  When England declared war on Germany on 14 August 1914, Norman was working as a Clerk and active member of the 7th Infantry (Moreton Regiment), Brisbane.  Four days later, on the 18 August 1914 he was one of the first to enlist with the 1st Division 9th Infantry Battalion, “A” Company Enlistment No. 66.[2]  Within the week he was appointed Lance Corporal, which recognises a soldier's leadership potential before being promoted to Corporal.  His promotion to Corporal happened days later on 31 August.[3]  His 9th Battalion unit was first to embark from Brisbane Pinkenba Wharf on the HMAT Omrah (A5) , they were amongst the first to land at Gallipoli and later in France,  Norman led his platoon in the first wave at Battle of Pozieres.

Commonly known as Normie, by family and friends, he was educated at state schools in Allora and Warwick.  One of five children, by 1914 the eldest was living abroad, his mother and two siblings passed away, his father remarried. Norman and younger brother Sydney were raised by their father and stepmother and shared a strong bond.    Norman’s brother, Sydney enlisted in same week, with the 3rd Field Artillery and sailed on same day on HMAT Rangatira A22. While in different units, they saw each other at Egypt, Gallipoli and France. 

The Australian Imperial Force was raised in August 1914, with the 9th Battalion being predominantly from Queensland and northern New South Wales region.  On the 24 September, Norman was part of the 9th Battalion advanced party entrained to the Omrah being the first to depart, alongside aboard the SS Rangartira, was his brother Sydney.  All Australian troop ships gathered in Albany, Western Australia before sailing as a whole fleet towards Europe on 1 November 1914.[4]

The Australian 1st Division, 9th Battalion landed in Alexandria on 4 December 1914.  On disembarkation, they entrained towards a small encampment at Mena, near the Pyramids, initially they slept open to the stars with a view of the pyramids, before the bell tents had been issued and raised. Training was intensive, each morning marching out to training grounds through soft sand followed by 8-hour sessions and the return march.  Whilst watching a desert training exercise, General Bridges made his decision on which battalion would be first into battle.  After seeing the 9th Battalion run across a mile of the Egyptian desert, in the glaring sun, instead of the fifteen minutes as their commanders expected, they took eight, the 9th men trained as if in real war. [5]

In March, the 3rd Brigade marched out of Cairo, entrained to Alexandria and boarded the Ionian bound for Lemnos, where they continued landing training.  The unit received preliminary orders for landing on 23 April, but was then delayed due to bad weather. The brigade was divided into two sections Norman’s 9th Battalion ‘A’ and ‘B’ Companies boarded the Queen. [6]

By 2.30am on 25 April 1915, ‘A’ and ‘B’ Companies were loaded into tow boats and steamed forward, about 3am the order to land was given and the men rowed towards the shore, where the first shots were heard followed by fierce fire.  Norman within ‘A’ Company landed and made its way inland climbing onto Plugge’s Plateau amongst shellfire, the enemy pushing back the advancing Australian units. 

On the 27 April, they were recalled to the beach for roll call, the Battalion lost 19 officers and 496 other ranks.  On the 28 April Norman was awarded one of the highest honours for a NCO, promoted in field to Regimental Quarter Master Sergeant.[7]  He remained at Gallipoli, fighting and managing unit supplies, making himself a shelter in the beach cliff. [8] In a letter home, his brother Sydney said, “Norman has been here for the lot, from the 25-4-15 and he could not be in better health and he has a deal of time for himself”.[9]  On 9th October 1915, he was promoted to rank of 2nd Lieutenant.[10] 

Of the 1100 men of the 9th who landed, Norman was one of only 63 who survived Gallipoli.  Norman received the unofficial unit medal – The Butler Medal, issued by Captain Butler, for men who were longer than 6 months on Gallipoli.  Apart from original unit, early 500 reinforcements in first weeks of Gallipoli, unit number 1500, 94% had become casualties through death wounds or illness. [11]  Norman was one of the remaining unwounded 6%. 

After being successfully evacuated from Gallipoli, the unit were rested, reorganised and training exercise in Egypt, where mostly Queensland reinforcements strengthened the unit numbers.[12]  After two months they men were restless and preparing to travel the French battlefields.  In March, 9th Battalion received their orders and were escorted on the  Saxonia for Marseilles, before a transferring to an fifty eight hour train journey.  As Quarter Master, Norman was responsible for organisation and transport of the unit’s general baggage during this period.[13] 

When the 9th arrived in France, they were placed in what was known as the “nursery” section, south of Armentieres.  Some sections were so quiet local villagers still lived there but not all, during the periods of June and early July, raids on German positions were carried out.  Plans were also in preparation for the Somme battles, on the 22nd July Norman was one of the ‘A’ company officers present during preliminary operations of Battle of Pozieres. 

In the early morning hours of Sunday 23rd July, the 1st Australian Division began the assault against the Germans at the village of Pozieres, France.  Just after 12.30am, Norman was leading the 2nd platoon, in the first rush going over the top of the German 1st Line trench, when he was struck in the forehead by machine gun fire – his one sustained wound killed him instantly.  He was buried by the men, a few yards from where he fell.

By the time the 1st division was relieved on 27 July it had suffered 5,285 casualties, at the end of six weeks the casualty rate at Pozieres was the worst ever experienced.  The Australians suffered 23,000 casualties while advancing only two kilometres, of which 6,800 were killed, that is 11,500 men per kilometre during the 42 day battle.  The intensity of the fighting there can be estimated by the five Victoria Crosses awarded at Pozieres.[14]

At the time of his death Lieutenant Norman Weynand was a well like and respected promising young officer. In March 1918, his brother Sydney wrote home “Norman did his best, how I wish I could tell him all but may the wish of God bring us close together as no other man could have been a better living boy than Norman.  I trust Dad lives to see my return”. [15]  Sydney returned home with a Military Medal and was able to keep his promise to talk to his father about Norman achievements - three weeks later their father died.   

Lieutenant Norman Leslie Weynand’s body was never recovered and remains missing in the Pozieres fields in the country of his father’s birth. 

Bibliography

9th Battalion Organisation History, www.9bnassoc.org Accessed 9 March 2018

Australian War Memorial, Research Room, 9th Battalion Unit Diaries, Accessed 23 July 2006

Australian War Memorial, Unit Diaries, www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339169, Accessed 7 March 2018

Campaigning with the Fighting 9th, C. M. Wrench (M.C) Brisbane, Boolarong Publications, 1st Edition, 1985

Commonwealth Gazette, No. 33 9th March 1916, p 563

Harvey, K Norman, From Anzac to the Hindenburg Line, The History of the 9th Battalion A.I.F., Imperial War Museum, William Brooks Brisbane 1941 Reprint 2009

Lowndes Chris, “Ordinary Men Extraordinary Service”, Boolarong Press, Brisbane, 2011

Patsy Adam-Smith, the Anzacs, Penguin Books, 1991

Personal Family Collection, Correspondence

Service Records B255, National Archives of Australia.

State Library of Queensland, 29506 Joseph Cecil Thompson Collection

The Story of Anzac, The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918, Volume 1, C.E.W. Bean, University of Queensland Press, 1981

[1] Figure 1 – Lieutenant Norman Leslie Weynand, Family Portrait collection
[2] Service Record of Norman Leslie Weynand, p1, B2455, National Archives of Australia
[3] Service Record of Norman Leslie Weynand, p2
[4] Wrench, C.M. (MC), Campaigning with the Fighting 9th, Brisbane, Boolarong Publications, 1st Edition, 1985,p 21
[5] Wrench, Campaigning with the Fighting 9th, p31
[6] Harvey, Norman K, From Anzac to the Hindenburg Line, Brisbane, William Books Publishers, Reprint 2009
[7] Harvey, From Anzac to the Hindenburg Line,  p68
[8] Figure 2 – 29506, Joseph Cecil Thompson Collection, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. 
[9] Weynand, Sydney , 15 October 1915, Dardanelles – Private Collection
[10] Commonwealth Gazette, No. 33 9th March 1916, p 563
[11] Harvey, From Anzac to the Hindenburg Line, p278
[12] 9th Battalion Organisation History, www.9bnassoc.org, Accessed 9 March 2018
[13] Australian War Memorial, Research Room, 9th Battalion Unit Diaries, Accessed 23 July 2006
[14] Bean, CEW, The Story of Anzac, The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918, Volume 1
[15] Weynand, Sydney , 29 March 1918, Dardanelles – Private Collection