SERVICE PERSON RESEARCH

SERVICE PERSON DETAILS

Service Person’s Name James Henry Norman Price (known as Norm)

Rank 2nd Lieutenant

Service Number

Regiment/Unit orShip or Squadron 15th Australian Infantry Battalion

Date of Birth 1 April 1889

Place of Birth Hamilton, Victoria

Family Details Married to Ada Florence Price. Son of Henry James Price and Annie Price (nee Dunn). Brothers- Ewen Douglas, Colin Macarthur, Stanley Gordon, Hector Murray, Keith Ferguson and Allan Gordon. Sisters- Masie Mary, Hazel Annie and Marjorie Grace Children- Douglas, Lenny, Joan and Daphnie

Age at Enlistment 23

Place of Enlistment Enoggera, Frasers Paddock

Date of Death 20 July 1963

Place of Death Not known

Cemetery orMemorial Name Mt Gravatt Cemetery

Grave or MemorialNumber

PHOTO:

SERVICE PERSON’S STORY/EULOGY:

Prepared by Gemma Price

James Henry Norman Price was born on 1 April 1889 in Hamilton, Victoria.

Norm joined the army in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 20 October 1914. Norm was 23 years old, lived at Graceville, Brisbane with his parents and worked as a timber-getter. He signed up at Enoggera, Frasers Paddock.

Norm’s younger brothers, Ewen Douglas and Hector Murray Price, later joined the AIF. Both were too late for the first landings at Gallipoli but they all served in France together, in the 41st and 26th Battalions.

Price Family, Photo of Norm’s Medals- MBE, Military Cross, Medals from World War 1.

Price Family, Photo of James Henry Norman Price 1918

Price Family, Photo of Redland Councillor J H N Price

Norm landed at Gallipoli, Anzac Cove on the night of 25 April 1915 with the 15 th Battalion, New Zealand and Australian Division, under the command of Lt. Col J.H. Cannan and Colonel J. Monash (a famous Australian commander during WW1).

Norm was part of the 15th Battalion, which was made up of men from Queensland and Tasmania. My great, grandfather, travelled by train to Melbourne where he joined soldiers from Tasmania.

Norm left Melbourne on 22 December 1914 and, along with a contingent of 10,500 Australian troops and 2,000 New Zealanders, reached Egypt at the end of January.

By 2 February 1915, Norm had disembarked in Egypt and camped at Heliopolis, outside of Cairo, in the desert sand, a huge change from Queensland.

Quinn’s Post is where Norm was sent when the 15th Battalion first landed. They virtually walked straight off the beach from the landing boats straight into one the toughest fighting positions ever encountered by the Australian and British Armies. Norm arrived at night, walked to his post in the dark and settled down to fight still in the dark and would have experienced firsthand combat with bayonets before the night was over.

Norm was renowned within the 15th as a sniper and would have been active in this area as this is where the 15th was posted. This was where my grandfather was first shot on 26 May 1915. There was a lot going on at Quinn’s post and also a lot of troop movement. The troops had to be continually rested as their stress was severe and on 29 May, the Turks exploded their mine beneath Quinn’s Post. By that time Norm was on his way to hospital. He sustained a gunshot wound to the left shoulder which also caused some type of fracture to bone - the reports are not clear.

Norm would have spent about a day, as a ‘walking wounded’ travelling to the beach where he would have been transferred to a ship’s lighter (an open barge). From there he was sent to a ‘hospital ship’ on 26 May, sailed and then transferred on 31 May to the No.1 Australian General Hospital at Heliopolis, Egypt to recover. By 19 June Norm was sufficiently recovered to go to the convalescent home at Helouan. On 3 July Norm was well enough to embark back to Gallipoli where he re-joined his unit on 9 July 1915. Norm had been away 45 days since being shot in the shoulder.

Exactly 30 days later, on 8 August 1915, Norm was wounded again. He was shot, two or three times this time. The fighting around him was severe. Sooner or later most were wounded or killed. Norm was shot in the back of both legs and in his left arm. A medical report says of his wound; ‘G.S.W. Left shoulder and both legs’ & ‘Patient was sniping at time when hit by bullet which passed through left shoulder. Arm completely paralysed’.

During WW1 Norm served with distinction. He was wounded three times by gunshot at Gallipoli, evacuated to Australia for medical discharge and recovered to serve in France in the 42 nd Battalion, 1st AIF. He was again wounded by gunshot, evacuated, recovered, was then gassed and reported suffering shell shock. He was evacuated to England to recover. During these battles he was mentioned in dispatches to Sir Douglas Haig and awarded the Military Cross for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. ‘He personally led a raiding party with the greatest vigour and determination, driving the enemy, who were in superior numbers, back to their support line. After inflicting heavy casualties, he withdrew his party with great skill through hostile barrage to our trenches. His personal courage inspired his men with the greatest confidence’ (London Gazette 14.08.1917).

He was honoured by Queen Elizabeth with an M.B.E. in the New Year Honours in 1961 for outstanding community service. During the years of 1920 to 1960 people served and worked for the community mostly voluntarily. Norm exemplifies this community spirit that was part of the core character of Australian culture of that period.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Australian War Memorial, Honours and Awards- James Henry Norman Price http://www.awm.gov.au/people/rolls/R1519453/ (accessed 02 February 2015)

N. Newton, James Henry Norman Price (Family research made into a book)