Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Freemasons VC Memorial | Great Queen Street | |
| 2. Book: | Beyond The Five Points | Pgs 259-261 | |
Awards & Titles: | Victoria Cross Mentioned in Despatches Meritorious Service Medal | ||
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: Royal Marine Artillery |
| Action : War Survivor |
Although many perished in times of national conflict and in the service of their country, many more survived including those interned as Prisoners of War. Stories of those who did survive are included as part of this site, especially those with high gallantry awards, those included against an external rolls of honour and those who had a distinguished career in wartime and military leaderhip.
Citations & Commemorations :
On 22/23 April 1918 at Zeebrugge, Belgium, Sergeant Finch was second in command of the pom-poms and Lewis gun in the foretop of HMS Vindictive. At one period Vindictive was being hit every few seconds, but Sergeant Finch and the officer in command kept up a continuous fire, until two heavy shells made direct hits on the foretop killing or disabling everyone except Sergeant Finch who was, however, severely wounded. Nevertheless, he remained in his battered and exposed position, harassing the enemy on the Mole until the foretop received another direct hit, putting the remainder of the armament completely out of action.Norman was awarded the Victoria Cross under Clause 13 of the Royal Warrant, which provides for the recipient to be elected by his peers, who were present at the action.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Lodge of Hope No. 2153 E.C. | Hampshire & IOW |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
18th September 1918 | 23rd October 1918 | 29th November 1918 |
"Finch was a Freemason and was initiated into Lodge of Hope No. 2153 at Portsmouth on 18 September 1918. He was subsequently a founding member of Royal Marine Portsmouth Lodge No. 6423 when it was consecrated on 23 April 1947, and was their first Senior Warden. The following year he was installed as their second Worshipful Master – on the thirtieth anniversary of the Zeebrugge Raid."
A statuette of a Royal Marine, dedicated to Norman's memory has previously been presented to the lodge by Jane Suter, the wife of one of their regular visitors, for use as the lodge saw fit, and it was mounted on a plinth on which Norman’s citation has been engraved by Mark Bizley of Hermes Lodge No. 5532.
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley