JACOB, Norman Frank
| Service Number: | 31824 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 16 October 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Gunner |
| Last Unit: | Medium Trench Mortar Batteries |
| Born: | Redfern, New South Wales, Australia , 18 July 1895 |
| Home Town: | Ryde, Ryde, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Sydney Technical High School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Draftsman |
| Died: | Ryde, New South Wales, Australia, 1944, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Sydney Technical High School WW1 Roll Of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Oct 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Gunner, 31824, Medium Trench Mortar Batteries | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Dec 1916: | Involvement Gunner, 31824, Medium Trench Mortar Batteries, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '4' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Orsova embarkation_ship_number: A67 public_note: '' | |
| 2 Dec 1916: | Embarked Gunner, 31824, Medium Trench Mortar Batteries, HMAT Orsova, Sydney |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Sydney Technical High School
Norman Frank Jacob was born on the 18th of July, 1895 in Redfern, New South Wales and spent his childhood in the Ryde area of Sydney. His parents were Michael Jacques Jacob, his father, married to Charlotte Esther Commens, his mother. He a had 4 sisters, two of which died in infancy. His father Michael was a schoolteacher in the local area. His family mainly resided in the Ryde area of Sydney. Growing up, Norman Frank Jacob was a Protestant, following the Church of England.
Jacob was an academically diligent individual and on the 5th of February, 1910, he received a Junior Tech Bursary to attend the Technical Day School, modern day Sydney Technical High School. His academic capabilities continued into his teenage years, staying in the Technical Day School as it was being established as a high school. Jacob was a high academic achiever, receiving a Junior Technical Scholarship in 1911 receiving high scores across a number of subjects and entering the first division of students at the school. At some point in his teenage years, Jacob served in the Senior Cadets, modern day Australian Defence Force Cadets, for 2 years under former Prime Minister Alfred Deakin’s Universal Service Scheme. Following graduation from Sydney Technical High School, Jacob was employed as a draftsman. He was also a private in the Citizen’s Military Force, modern day Australian Army Reserves, where he served in the 18th and 13th Infantry battalion for a period of 3 years.
On the 16th of October, 1916 Jacob enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF), being physically examined at Victoria Barracks. Jacob was transferred from Infantry to the Royal Australian Artillery, stationed with the 1st Medium Trench Mortar Battery. According to enlistment records, at the time of his enlistment into the AIF, he was average height, around 5 foot 6 and had dark hair with grey eyes, along with moles around his body. He also had a scar along his chin.
After receiving artillery training in Sydney, he embarked on the HMAT A67 Orsova on the 2nd of December, 1916, and was sailed out to the United Kingdom. After disembarking in Plymouth on the 17th of February, 1917, Jacob was stationed in the United Kingdom for around 2 months, before being marched out to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F). Jacob spent his entire war service on the Western Front, assisting Allied operations with artillery support, mostly mortars. Jacob would enjoy leave to Allied cities such as Paris and London, and fight in France for the duration of the war. No military records suggest Jacob was injured or captured during the war.
After the armistice, like many Allied troops, Jacob remained in France until May, 1919 where he was sent to the United Kingdom before embarking back to Australia, returning to Sydney via the 'Konig Friedriech August', returning to Sydney on the 20th of June, 1919. After his return to Australia, Jacob would receive an honorable discharge from the Australian Army on the 18th of September, 1919.
Jacob resided in Ryde, Sydney for the rest of his life, until he passed away on the 6th of March, 1944, aged 48.
His name is remembered and commemorated on the Sydney Technical High School World War One Roll of Honour to this day.
Bibliography
- Google Documents provided by STHS
- Anonymous, (year unknown) NAA:B2455, Jacob Norman Frank
- ADFA, 2024, The AIF Project, UNSW, 15/07/24, (https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=151195)
- Virtual War Memorial, year uknown, Norman Frank JACOB, 12/07/24 (https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/175370)