FAMILY LIFE

Roy Wilson Norris was born in 1896 in Berry, son of Robert & Hannah Norris. According to NSW BMD he was an only child.

ATTESTATION

Roy travelled to Brisbane on 28^th January 1916 to complete his application. He answered several questions on the document, and we find out he was born in Berry, was, 19 years and 3 months old and a single man. He gave his occupation as mechanic. His next of kin was his mother, Hannah Clark, of Uki.

He then signed a declaration confirming he had answered the questions correctly and was willing to voluntarily agree to service in the Military Forces of the Commonwealth of Australia

Maurice also agreed to allot three fifths of the pay payable to me from time to time during his service to the support of his mother

He also signed that he was prepared to undergo inoculation against smallpox & enteric fever

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CERTIFICATE OF ATTESTING OFFICER

On the second page of the attestation documents the attesting confirms the following

“The foregoing questions were read to the person enlisted in my presence. I have taken care that he understood each question, and his answer to each question has been duly entered as replied to by him

OATH

He also made the following oath in the presence of the Attesting Officer: “I, Roy Wilson Norris, swear that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lord the King in the Australian Imperial Force until the end of the War, and a further four months thereafter unless sooner lawfully discharged, dismissed or removed therefrom: and that I will resist His Majesty’s enemies and case His Majesty’s peace to be kept and maintained; and I will in all matters appertaining to my services faithfully discharge my duty according to law

SO, HELP ME, GOD.” 

MEDICAL EXAMINATION

His medical showed he was 5ft 5 ½ inches tall (1.66m), weighed 140 lbs (63kgs), with a medium complexion, brown eyes & brown hair.  His eyesight was good.  Roy was Church of England and had a scar on his right shin & foot as well as a vaccination scar on his arm

CERTIFICATE OF MEDICAL EXAMINER

I have examined the abovenamed person, and find that he does not present any of the following conditions, viz: -

Scrofula; phthisis; syphilis; impaired constitution; defective intelligence; defects of vision, voice, or hearing; hernia’ haemorrhoids; varicose veins, beyond a limited extent; marked varicocele with unusually pendent testicle; inveterate cutaneous disease’ chronic ulcers; traces of corporal punishment or evidence of having been marked with the letters D. or B.C; contracted or deformed chest; abnormal curvature of spine; or any other disease or physical defect calculated to unfit him for the duties of a soldier.

He can see the required distance with either eye; his heart and lungs are healthy; he has the free use of his joints and limbs; and he declares he is not subject to fits of any description. However, a notation was made that Roy needed dental work done before he was fit or service

CERTIFICATE OF COMMANDING OFFICER

This is completed during the recruits training. Roy’s was on 17^th July 1917 due to the dental work he had done.

The commanding officer certifies that this attestation of the abovenamed person is correct, and that the required forms have been complied with. He then states “I accordingly approve, and appoint him to the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force- reinforcements, specifically 47^th Battalion, 4^th Pioneers, with service No 1143

TRAINING AT RIFLE RANGE CAMP, ENOGGERA

As was the case with men from the Northern Rivers district in New South Wales, they trained at Rifle Range Camp, Enoggera near Brisbane. The Barracks Block was built as accommodation for men in two dormitories, each 36 feet by 22 feet (10.97 x 6.7 metres). Beds or bunks were not provided, instead each man slept on a palliasse with ground sheet on the floor. For many it was their first time away from home. Men from every walk of life, from clerks and teachers to factory and shop workers, were crammed together

Now training for the new recruits began. Firstly, the men received their vaccinations for smallpox, rabies & plague, then a recruit had to be inducted into military forms of discipline, command, and order. This was partially achieved through a program of basic training carried and, in a sense, was maintained for a long as a man was in the service. It involved marching and drilling with the rifle, cleaning and caring for personal equipment and being supervised and inspected in ways quite different to ordinary civilian life. For example, no boots should be allowed to get in a bad state of wear but must be sent to the bootmaker without delay for repair. Men who were found with hair long and unshaven had to have a haircut and shave

Secondly, after basic training there followed the far more serious exercise of turning a man into a fighting soldier at least partially prepared for the kind of warfare he was about to experience overseas. The topics and exercises in the syllabus of training were a world away from their former lives and included daily physical training, entrenching, wiring, firing rifle grenades, firing the Lewis light machine gun, dealing with gas attack, using hand grenades, using the bayonet, and the routines to be followed in the trenches.

This training was then put into practice during what were called ‘Field Days,’ when men would practice using the skills they had acquired in mock attacks both by day and by night. How well men had learnt to use their weapons, in cooperation with each other in training, would be tested in the harsh reality of the front line. Training would take several months

Australians were given a range of inoculations while in camp. The most important jab was to protect against smallpox and typhoid – indeed, having this was an essential precondition of enlisting.

SOLDIER’S UNIFORM

The recruits were issued with their uniform- service dress jacket was made of Australian wool and its loose fit gave the wearer more allowance for movement. The four large pockets were very useful. A unique feature designed for comfort was the pleated back, which provided a double thickness of cloth down the back that the pack rubbed against. Breeches were corduroy worn with wool wrap puttees. The famous khaki felt slouch hat or early service cap is probably the most distinctive part of the uniform. turned up on the left and featuring a plain khaki band, chinstrap and “rising sun” badge. A soldier’s equipment also included a dixie (mess tin), water bottle, mug, .303 Lee-Enfield rifle and bayonet.

SOLDIER’S KIT

Australia's World War I soldiers went to war weighed down by almost 30 kilograms of clothes, weapons, tools and kit.

·      Breeches: made from khaki woollen cord fabric, with side pockets and button flies. Soldiers were issued with two pairs of breeches, plus a pair of dungarees. The breeches ended above the ankles and the gap was filled with puttees.

·      Braces: worn with breeches.

·      Puttees: The men wound these strips of woollen cloth, almost three metres long, upwards from the ankle to just below the knee. Soldiers disliked the puttees, probably with good reason: the tight binding restricted circulation and might even have contributed to the high incidence of trench foot. Mounted troops wore leather leggings.

·      Shirt: Soldiers were given two grey, collarless, flannel shirt, plus a military shirt.

·      Ankle boots: brown and lace-up.

·      Socks: Made from wool or cotton. Soldiers were issued with three pairs.

·      Greatcoat: the khaki woollen coat (which weighed about 3kg) often doubled as a soldier's bedding and was his chief protection against the cold and wet.

·      Jersey

·      Singlets: Soldiers were issued with 2 woollen singlets.

·      Cotton "drawers" (underpants): Soldiers were issued with two pairs.

·      Abdominal belts: a sort of cummerbund that was issued to keep soldiers warm and supposedly ward off disease.

·      Backpacks and webbing: The main backpack was a rectangular sack measuring about 15 inches x 13 inches, closed at the top by a folding cover secured by two straps. The webbing included a web belt, cartridge pouches, small haversack, bayonet frog, an entrenching tool holder (plus another holder for its handle), and a water-bottle holder.

·      Identity disc: Soldiers were initially issued with one medal "dog tag" on a cord, but later in the war they were given two tags, made of compressed fibre.

·      Soldiers were also issued with a "housewife" - a sewing kit containing such items as needles, thimble, thread, wool and button so they could carry out running repairs.

·      Also in their kit were a short-magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE) rifle, a rifle sling, a bayonet and scabbard, and an "entrenching tool" (they were "diggers" after all). This came in two parts, with the helve (handle) separate from the spade part.

·      Soldiers were issued with eating equipment (knife, fork, spoon, an enamel mug, water bottle (with two-point capacity), and a mess tin with carrier.

·      They also had a clasp knife (with marlin spike, tin-opener and lanyard), razor, shaving kit, soap, comb, two towels, field dressing (carried in the tunic's inside pocket), and a hold-all, in which they could pack their private possessions.

·      No item was probably looked after more carefully than their service pay book: privates were paid six shillings a week.

HOME LEAVE

Roy was granted 4 days leave to visit his parents & relatives

VOYAGE TO NEW GUINEA

Roy left Brisbane for New Guinea aboard the SS Makambo arriving in Rabaul on 5^th November 1917

MONEY TO MOTHER

Prior to his departure, Roy signed a document authorising three shillings per day be allocated to his mother, Hannah Clark, of Doon Doon, Murwillumbah

NEW GUINEA

Roy had a very different war to the men who fought in the trenches of France and Belgium. His service with the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force in New Guinea placed him in one of the lesser-known campaigns of the First World War, yet it was an important part of Australia’s wartime effort in the Pacific.

When war broke out in August 1914, Australia moved quickly to seize the German colony of New Guinea. Germany controlled the north-eastern part of the island as well as several nearby island groups, and the area contained German wireless stations which could assist German naval forces operating in the Pacific. Australia raised the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force, commonly known as the AN&MEF, specifically for this task. Australian troops captured Rabaul in September 1914 after brief fighting, and from then until the end of the war Australia occupied and administered the former German territory.

Unlike infantrymen sent to the Western Front, men such as Roy often performed essential garrison and administrative duties in difficult tropical conditions. Arriving at Rabaul, New Guinea, on 5 November 1917, Roy was detailed for duty with the Sanitary Department. This was particularly important work in the tropics where disease posed a constant threat. Malaria, dysentery, dengue fever and other illnesses could spread rapidly through camps and settlements if sanitation was neglected.

As Roy was a mechanic by trade, his skills would have been extremely valuable. The Sanitary Department likely relied on him to maintain machinery, pumps, transport equipment and other mechanical systems necessary for keeping the settlement functioning. In tropical New Guinea, machinery worked under harsh conditions of heat, humidity and heavy rain, and constant maintenance was essential. The sanitary staff were responsible for drainage, waste disposal, clean water supplies and general camp hygiene — all crucial in keeping soldiers healthy far from home.

On 1 January 1918 Roy was struck off strength at Rabaul after departing for Madang on the mainland of New Guinea. Madang, then known as Friedrich-Wilhelmshafen under German administration, was another important outpost occupied by Australian forces. Service there would have been isolated and demanding, with men living in remote tropical conditions far removed from the better-known battlefields of Europe.

PROMOTED TO CORPORAL APRIL 1918

Despite the quieter nature of the New Guinea campaign, discipline, organisation and leadership remained important. Roy’s promotion came when he qualified as a Corporal on 2 April 1918, suggesting he had proven himself reliable and capable in his duties. Non-commissioned officers such as Corporals were responsible for supervising small groups of men and ensuring daily tasks were completed efficiently.

While men on the Western Front endured artillery bombardments and trench warfare, soldiers serving in New Guinea fought a different enemy — climate, disease and isolation. Their work ensured Australia maintained control of the strategically important territory throughout the war.

After more than a year in New Guinea, Roy boarded the SS Melusia

on 31 January 1919, disembarking on 8^th February 1919, for furlough and return. By this stage the war had ended, although many occupation troops remained in former German territories for some time while arrangements for post-war administration were settled. Unfortunately, there appears to be little further information recorded about his later service, but his contribution formed part of Australia’s little-known Pacific war during the First World War.

FOR HIS SERVICE

For his service Roy was awarded the 1914-15 Star, and the Victory Medal and his name is recorded on the Dungay Public School WWI Honour Roll

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