NAME:  Norman Edward McPHEE                                                                                                      

SERVICE NO:  758

YEAR OF BIRTH: 1896

PLACE OF BIRTH:  Hamilton

DATE OF ENLISTMENT:  1 October 1914

PLACE OF ENLISTMENT:  Hamilton

AGE AT ENLISTMENT:  18 

UNIT: 46th Battalion (late 14th Battalion, F Company)

EMBARKED:  22 December 1914

TROOPSHIP:  HMAT A38 Ulysses

FATE:  Died of Wounds – 27 September 1917 – Belgium

 

Norman Edward McPhee was born to William McPhee and Mary Williams of Goldsmith Street Hamilton in 1896. He attended the Hamilton State School and the Milton Street Sunday School. On 1 October 1914, when just eighteen years and one month, Norman enlisted. He left with the 14th Battalion on 22 December 1914 for Egypt.  Norman was at the landing at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. 

After returning to Egypt, Norman transferred to the newly formed 46th Battalion on 3 March 1916 and proceeded to France in June 1916.  Their first battle on the Western Front was Pozieres. On 26 August, Norman was promoted to Corporal.

On 13 March 1917, the Hamilton Spectator reported Norman’s mother had heard that he’d been “slightly wounded” in France.  In that month, Norman was granted furlough in England and he did not rejoin his battalion, then in Belgium, until 4 August 1917.  On 15 September 1917, Norman was promoted to Sergeant.

Norman suffered severe gunshot wounds on 26 November 1917. His injuries were to both thighs and ankles and he died in hospital the next day.  Norman had only just turned twenty-one

A report of his death in the Hamilton Spectator on 11 October 1917, noted that in 1060 days with the AIF, Norman had served at Gallipoli including the landing, Pozieres, Somme and Bullecourt. A tree was planted for Norman along Hamilton’s Anzac Avenue and his name is on the Hamilton War Memorial.   

ONLINE RESOURCES

Australian War Memorial – 46th Australian Infantry Battalion

Australia War Memorial – Roll of Honour – Norman Edward McPhee

Australian War Memorial – WW1 Embarkation Roll – Norman Edward McPhee

Commonwealth War Graves Commission – Norman Edward McPhee – Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Belgium

Discovering Anzacs – WW1 Service Record – Norman Edward McPhee

Newspapers articles from Trove – Norman Edward McPhee

The War Graves Photographic Project – Norman Edward McPhee