Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Chatham Naval Memorial | 7 Kent | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.131 | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: HMS Tamar |
| Action : Naval Campaign |
Naval Campaign is defined as to include all sea operations where attrition rates are in ones and twos and which do not fall within specific naval battles such as Jutland, Coronel, Falklands etc. This includes Merchant Navy losses.
Detail :
Ch/12055. (Ch) SERGEANT WILLIAM NORRIS, Royal Marines Light Infantry, HMS Tamar.
The Royal Navy and Royal Marine War Graves Roll, 1914-1919 shows that he was "Killed or died by means other than disease, accident or enemy action" and that his "Body Not Recovered For Burial." The death record shows his widow as Beatrice Sybil (nee Grout), 178 Rock Avenue, Gillingham, Kent.
It is suggested that William Norris is recorded as having drowned, but as yet we have no information regarding the circumstances. He was stationed at HMS Tamar which was the name for the Royal Navy's base in Hong Kong from 1897 to 1997. The original HMS Tamar was a 3,650 ton British troopship launched in in 1863. She first visited Hong Kong in 1878 with reliefs crews and made her last trip to Hong Kong in 1897 after which she was stationed permanently in the harbour from 1897 to 1941, when she was scuttled during the Battle of Hong Kong during World War II, to avoid being used by the invading Japanese Imperial forces. HMS Tamar was also a base for the China Station. He was a member of United Service Lodge No 1341 which was based in Hong Kong.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | United Service No. 1341 E.C. | Hong Kong & Far East |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
8th February 1913 | 8th April 1913 | 8th May 1913 |
A William Norris appears in the register of United Service Lodge No. 1341 as having been initiated in 1913. He is 27 years of age and employed as a Sergeant of the Royal Marines Light Infantry, based at H.M.S. Tamar. The contribution record shows that he "Resd 15/9/1914."
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