WATCH, Norman Bennington
| Service Number: | NGX459 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 21 January 1942 |
| Last Rank: | Major |
| Last Unit: | Medical Officers |
| Born: | Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, 6 February 1883 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Medical Doctor |
| Died: | Ashbury, Sydney, New South Wales, 11 September 1951, aged 68 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 29 Dec 1916: | Embarked Captain, Medical Officers, HMAT Persic, Fremantle | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Dec 1916: | Involvement Captain, Medical Officers, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '23' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Persic embarkation_ship_number: A34 public_note: '' |
World War 2 Service
| 21 Jan 1942: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Major, NGX459 |
|---|
Help us honour Norman Bennington Watch's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by James Coleman
Dr. Norman Bennington Watch was born in Portsmouth, England on 6 February 1883 where he did his study to become a Medical Practicioner
He practised in Tasmania in 1910-11 & Western Australia in 1912-14 before enlisting in the 1914-18 War
In 1921 he was appointed to the Medical Service in New Guinea but subsequently resigned to go into private practice in Rabaul
He was awarded the MBE for service in the Rabaul (Tavurvur) volcano eruption on 6 June 1937
He became MO of the New Guinea Volunteer Rifles, was captured by the Japanese in 1942 & was one of the few European survivors of the invasion period—he was sent to a POW Camp in Japan but not on the ill-fated Montevideo Maru
After the war he went to Uganda & practised there until failing health took him back to Australia, where he passed away at his home in Ashbury on 11 September 1951 at the age of 68
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