Pte
Samuel Norris
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 01/01/1897 |
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Place of birth: Standish, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Labourer |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 308052 |
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Enlistment date: 01/02/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Wigan, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — King's (Liverpool Regiment) 4th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 15/10/1917 |
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Place of death: No. 3 Australian Casualty Clearing Station, Nine Elms, Poperinge, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Died of wounds (D.O.W.) |
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Age: 20 |
Cemetery
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Nine Elms British Cemetery Plot: IV Row: c Grave: 5 |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
At the beginning of October 1917, The King’s “Liverpool Regiment” 4th Bn. ( 98th Brigade, 33rd Division ) was located at Linde, in Northern France. The following day, The King’s 4th Bn. and the Suffolk Regiment 4th Bn. were detached from the 98th Brigade and entrained at the village of Ebblingem. Both Battalions were heading to Ypres, were they would be assigned to the 1st ANZAC Corps.
Upon arriving in Ypres, they assembled at the Eastern Ramparts before heading to Glencorse Wood, located west of Polygon Wood. There the 4th Kings and 4th Suffolks would help the 528th Field Company Royal Engineers with the construction of a road. They had to go back and forth between Birr Cross Roads and Glencorse Wood, collecting slabs of wood near the crossroads and carrying those slabs all the way to the construction site. The conditions in which they had to work weren’t favorable due to heavy rainfall and the utter desolation of the terrain. On top off these difficult conditions the supply routes where they were working were regularly shelled by the German artillery.
On the 18th of October, both Battalions were relieved from this temporary job and were re-joined at Nieuwkerke with the 98th Brigade. Private Samuel Norris was mortally wounded while constructing roads through Glencorse Wood, possibly due to German shellfire. The war diary of The King’s “Liverpool Regiment” 4th Bn. states that the Battalion suffered two casualties on the 12th of October 1917. One soldier was killed while another was wounded. It’s highly possible the wounded soldier was Samuel Norris. He was evacuated to the 3rd Australian Casualty Clearing Station ( C.C.S. ), where he died of his wounds. He was buried at Nine Elms British Cemetery.
Upon arriving in Ypres, they assembled at the Eastern Ramparts before heading to Glencorse Wood, located west of Polygon Wood. There the 4th Kings and 4th Suffolks would help the 528th Field Company Royal Engineers with the construction of a road. They had to go back and forth between Birr Cross Roads and Glencorse Wood, collecting slabs of wood near the crossroads and carrying those slabs all the way to the construction site. The conditions in which they had to work weren’t favorable due to heavy rainfall and the utter desolation of the terrain. On top off these difficult conditions the supply routes where they were working were regularly shelled by the German artillery.
On the 18th of October, both Battalions were relieved from this temporary job and were re-joined at Nieuwkerke with the 98th Brigade. Private Samuel Norris was mortally wounded while constructing roads through Glencorse Wood, possibly due to German shellfire. The war diary of The King’s “Liverpool Regiment” 4th Bn. states that the Battalion suffered two casualties on the 12th of October 1917. One soldier was killed while another was wounded. It’s highly possible the wounded soldier was Samuel Norris. He was evacuated to the 3rd Australian Casualty Clearing Station ( C.C.S. ), where he died of his wounds. He was buried at Nine Elms British Cemetery.
Sources 4
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Locations of Casualty Clearing Stations ( C.C.S. ) http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/locations-of-british-casualty-clearing-stations/ Sources used |
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War Diary 98th Bde. http://www.nmarchive.com/ Further reference |
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War Diary Suffolk Regiment, 4th Bn. http://www.nmarchive.com/ Further reference |
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War Diary The King's Liverpool Regiment, 4th Bn. http://www.nmarchive.com/ Further reference |
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/137227 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=dec9b3c5-019c-4ca4-823c-31be8ae31e21 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/3283259 |