RIGBY, Norman Walter
| Service Number: | 1636 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 7 December 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 1st Pioneer Battalion |
| Born: | Cornwall, Tasmania, Australia, 31 December 1889 |
| Home Town: | Fingal, Break O'Day, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Cornwall State School |
| Occupation: | Miner |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 24 July 1916, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: |
Puchevillers British Cemetery, France Plot II, Row A, Grave No. 31 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Cullenswood Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 7 Dec 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1636, 12th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Feb 1915: | Involvement Private, 1636, 12th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Runic embarkation_ship_number: A54 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Feb 1915: | Embarked Private, 1636, 12th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Runic, Melbourne | |
| 24 Jul 1916: | Involvement Private, 1636, 1st Pioneer Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1636 awm_unit: 1st Australian Pioneer Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-07-24 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Norman Rigby was a coal miner at Cornwall, Tasmania when he enlisted in late 1914. He was a member of the Cornwall Miner’s Association and of over 30 members who were serving, Norman was the first to fall.
Norman Rigby arrived on Gallipoli as a reinforcement for the 12th Battalion in early May 1915. He was wounded in action on the 9 August 1915 and evacuated to Mudros with shrapnel wounds to his arm and leg. He was then shipped to Egypt to recover. He rejoined the 12th Battalion just before the evacuation.
He transferred to the 1st Pioneer Battalion during early 1916 and was then most severely wounded at Pozieres on the 21 July 1916. He again suffered multiple shrapnel wounds to his head and shoulder and died of wounds 3 days later in the 44th Casualty Clearing Station.
Norman’s father had died when he was only four years of age. His mother Elizabeth Jane had remarried a J.J. Benneworth when he was eight years of age. His mother was living in Launceston, Tasmania after the war.
His younger brother, 1078 Pte. William Thomas Rigby 15th Battalion AIF, had been killed in action at Gallipoli on 9 August 1915, aged 21.
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