JOHNS, Norman Nicholson
| Service Numbers: | 5714, 5716 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 7 January 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Lyndoch, South Australia, Australia, 1885 |
| Home Town: | Lyndoch, Barossa, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Celtic Wood, Belgium, 9 October 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Lyndoch Cross of Remembrance WW1 Memorial, Lyndoch and District Roll of Honour, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient) |
World War 1 Service
| 7 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 10th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Jun 1916: | Involvement Private, 5714, 10th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Barambah embarkation_ship_number: A37 public_note: '' | |
| 27 Jun 1916: | Embarked Private, 5714, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Barambah, Melbourne | |
| 26 Dec 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 5716, 10th Infantry Battalion, No clear reason for admission to hospital. | |
| 28 Dec 1916: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 5716, 10th Infantry Battalion | |
| 2 Feb 1917: | Wounded Private, 5716, 10th Infantry Battalion, Diagnosed with bronchitis (lung disease). | |
| 20 Feb 1917: | Discharged AIF WW1, 5716, 10th Infantry Battalion | |
| 24 Mar 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 5716, 10th Infantry Battalion, Diagnosed with an abscess in the right foot. | |
| 29 Mar 1917: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 5716, 10th Infantry Battalion | |
| 9 Oct 1917: | Involvement Private, 5716, 10th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 5716 awm_unit: 10 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1917-10-08 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Saint Ignatius' College
Norman Nicholson Johns was born in Lyndoch, South Australia in 1885. Prior to enlisting in war, he was a farmer and religiously identified as Baptist. Johns was single and his next of kin was his sister Florence.
On the 7th of January, 1916, Johns enlisted in war. When he enlisted, he was 1.73m tall and weighed around 60 kilograms. Johns was slightly taller than the average man in 1916 but was light for someone of his stature. Johns was one of the 250,000+ Australian soldiers who enlisted in war in 1916.
Prior to fighting in war, soldiers had to train for roughly 3 months. Johns trained in Plymouth, England for 3 months before going off to fight. Johns was transported to Plymouth via a ship named the 'SS onward'. This ship also went by the name 'SS Mona's isle' and was built in Tasmania, 1905.
Once in Plymouth, Johns begun training. Military training was tough and would take place in large camps containing thousands of soldiers at a time. Plymouth, as well as many training camps in England, focused on training their soldiers for trench warfare as trenches were prominent in Belgium and France, where soldiers were often sent. Training exercises would have included:
-Laying wire (used in no-mans-land)
-Firing rifles and grenades
-Using a bayonet
-Dealing with gas attacks
-Learning trench routines and protocol
Johns began his war journey in December of 1916, when he was added to the 10th Infantry Battalion. Infantry battalions consisted of soldiers who fought on foot with rifles and bayonets. Along with the 9th, 11th and 12th battalion, the 10th battalion was part of the 3rd Brigade, who served in France and Belgium. Johns spent the majority of his fighting time in France, where conditions would have been rough. France's temperature in 1916 could have dropped down to -12 degrees and food would have been limited. In war, the main food soldiers were given was canned beef, bread and biscuits. However, a shortage in food meant that the bread was sometimes made of ground vegetables.
During his time in war, Johns suffered a few injuries and trips to hospital. These included:
-A 2-day-long stay in hospital on December 26th (1916) , only 20 days after being added to his battalion.
-Being diagnosed with bronchitis 2 months later on the second of February (1917) and staying in hospital for 18 days.
-An abscess in his right foot a month later. (24th of march 1917)
-Killed in action on the 8th of october, 1917. The cause of Normans bronchitis was most likely a combination of toxic gas used in battle, and the dirty environment soldiers were exposed to 24/7.
While all soldiers who decided to enlist displayed this spirit, I believe Johns showed this spirit by returning to war despite his injuries. While many soldiers may have been sick due to bad conditions, it would have been a hard decision to keep on fighting and Johns reflected the Anzac spirit in his choice.
Johns died on the 8th of October, 1917 in Belgium. He was buried in Ypres main gate memorial, along with thousands of other soldiers. While the specific cause of his death is unclear, service records show that he was killed in action. This could have happened in many ways such as via gunshot wound, poison gas or a bad disease. Since Johns' battalion was the kind that fought on foot, it can be assumed that Johns was shot while running or had a fatal encounter with an enemy soldier.