NORTON, Thomas Joseph
| Service Numbers: | 2964, 2964A |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 17 July 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 18th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Grenfell, New South Wales, Australia, 1894 |
| Home Town: | Grenfell, Weddin, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Killed in action, Bullecourt, France, 3 May 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Bimbi War Memorial, Grenfell Great War Memorial, Quandialla War Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 17 Jul 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2964, 55th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Oct 1916: | Involvement Private, 2964, 55th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 25 Oct 1916: | Embarked Private, 2964, 55th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Sydney | |
| 3 May 1917: | Involvement Private, 2964A, 18th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2964A awm_unit: 18 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1917-05-03 |
Help us honour Thomas Joseph Norton's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
‘Tommy’ Norton was the son of John and Charlotte Norton of Bimbi, New South Wales. He was six-foot one inch tall and weighed twelve stone when he enlisted. He was only a couple of months in the front line before he went missing at Second Bullecourt on 3 May 1917.
Pte. J. W. Heywood, No. 2916, 18th Battalion, stated: “Privates H. Keane and Norton were together in the advance on May 3rd. We were advancing from the sunken road on the right of Bullecourt about 4 a.m. when Pte. Norton was hit in the stomach by shrapnel and fell at the side of a shell hole. We both stopped to examine him and found he was dead. We took our objective but had to retire about 7 a.m., and later on that morning we advanced again and gained and held the German trench at Bullecourt.
The Grenfell Record reported during October 1917.
“The sympathy of a large circle of friends goes out to Mr. and Mrs. John Norton and family, whose son, Private Thomas Norton, reported missing since May 3 has now been reported killed. This information, we believe was obtained from Pte. Norton's pal, a Burrowa boy, now in hospital in London, per medium of the Red Cross. ‘Tommy’ Norton was a fine specimen of Australian manhood, a favorite with everybody, and a young man whose upright and manly characteristics endeared him to all. By the general expressions of regret manifested on all sides it is evident that outside their own families no soldier's death would be more regretted.”
Click images to start slideshow.