The Soldier's Details
- Surname:
- Norris
- First Name:
- Harry Claude
- Rank:
- Lance Corporal
- Regimental #:
- WX10790
- Company:
- ‘C’ Company, 12 Platoon
- Enlisted:
- 15.01.1941
- Discharged:
- 21.12.1945
- DOB:
- 6.01.1920
- Place of Birth:
- Watford, Hertfordshire, England
- Father's Name:
- Claude Edward Norris
- Mothers's Name:
- Elizabeth Norris
- Religion:
- Roman Catholic
- Pre-war Occupation:
- Stationhand
- Singapore:
- Selarang Camp Changi; Johore Bahru; Adam Park; Selerang Barracks Changi
- Force:
- ‘D’ Force Thailand, S Battalion
- Camps Thailand:
- Kanchanaburi, Non Pladuk,Chumphon, Petchaburi, Kachu Mountain Camp, Bangkok
- POW#:
- 8742
- Return Details 1945:
- Thailand‐Singapore by aircraft - no other details are known.
General Description
Norris enlisted AIF January 1941 and joined ‘C’ Company 12 Platoon under CO Mick Wedge.
He was shell shocked Buona Vista and evacuated on 15/2/1942.
Sent to work on Burma-Thai Railway with ‘D’ Force Thailand S Battalion. He would have worked Tarsau, Kanu 2, possibly Hintok. Was evacuated to Kanchaburi when the rail link was completed. Then sent to Non Planduk, Chumphon, Kachu Mountain Camp then to Bangkok at end of war.
Rear L-R Kev Moir, Clarrie Henderson, Fred Webb
Front Taffy Jones, Cyril Anderson, Jock Leith, Chris Mc Lennan, Les Marriot, Ern Ricketts, Paddy Byrne, S Morris, Bert Fidge.
Kneeling Harry Norris
After the war and 1952 Harry announces his engagement to Lynn Schumacher in South Australia.
It is unknown where Harrry Norris and his family travelled to from England. Perhaps they arrived in Melbourne and Harry moved to WA for work and then enlisted. Or the family arrived in WA then Harry’s parents moved to Victoria.
Not in order: Margarita Mahoney, Lew Lonsdale, Bobie Bates, Joyce Murdoch, Wally Lynn, Harry & Lynn Norris, Norm Ablett, Cowboy & Marion Matthews.
He resided in Warradale, South Australia. He wrote to Borehole Bulletin July 1991 conveying his thanks and appreciation for 50th Anniversary Celebratations writing “an occasion I shall never forget and treasure”. He extended his best wishes to Tom Gibson, Chris McLennan and the boys of ‘C’ Coy.
‘Furthermore he was writing his memoirs, but like everybody else is suffering from some degree of memory loss and would be grateful if anybody who worked with him on the railway and in any of the camps would drop him a line.’
Harry Norris died 6 November 2000, cremated Pasadena, Mitcham City, SA.
Camp Locations:
- Johore Bahru, - Malaysia
- Selarang Barracks Changi - Singapore
- Selarang Camp Changi - Singapore
- Kanchanaburi, 50k - Thailand
- Non Pladuk, 0k - Thailand
- Petchaburi - Thailand
- Kachau Mountain Camp - Thailand
