ARCHER, Norman Ward Robertson
| Service Number: | WX798 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 11 November 1939, Northam, Western Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/11th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Newcastle upon Tyne, England, 12 April 1905 |
| Home Town: | Kalgoorlie, Kalgoorlie/Boulder, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Miner & Timberman |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Crete, Greece, 20 May 1941, aged 36 years |
| Cemetery: |
Suda Bay War Cemetery (Souda Bay) Greece Section 1, Row E, Plot 15, Suda Bay War Cemetery, Suda Bay, Crete, Greece |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Private, WX798 | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Nov 1939: | Enlisted Northam, Western Australia | |
| 11 Nov 1939: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, WX798, 2nd/11th Infantry Battalion | |
| 20 Apr 1940: | Embarked Australian Army (Post WW2), Private, WX798, 2nd/11th Infantry Battalion, From Fremantle, W.A. on ship Y3 | |
| 20 May 1941: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Private, WX798, 2nd/11th Infantry Battalion, Battle of Crete |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Elizabeth Allen
Norman Ward Robertson ARCHER was born on 12th April, 1905 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England
His parents were Thomas ARCHER and Margaret Ann ROBERTSON who married in 1901 in Newcastle upon Tyne
Norman came to Australia on the ship Orvieto and arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia on 22nd January, 1929
He was living in Kalgoorlie in Western Australia and had been working as a Miner & Timberman before he enlisted at Northam, WA on 11th November, 1939 to serve in WW2 with the Australian Army - his next of kin was stated as his sister Lily TRAFFORD who was living in Oxford, England at the time
He was with the 2nd/11th Infantry Battalion as a Private which left Northam on 30th November, 1939 to join the 18th Brigade of the 6th Australian Division in a camp at Greta in New South Wales - they returned to Western Australia and embarked from Fremantle for overseas on 20th April 1940 on the ship (Code Y3)
Norman was listed as missing in action in July 1941 and thought to be a prisoner of war but later it was stated he was Killed in Action on 20th May, 1941 in Crete - he is buried in Suda Bay War Cemetery in Greece (Section 1, Row E, Plot 15)
The inscription on his headstone reads:
"SOME DAY GOD WILL UNROLL THE BANNER AND EXPLAIN THE REASON WHY"
His name is memorialised on the Australian War Memorial and the Roll of Honour in Kalgoorlie, WA
He is stated on some records as becoming a Lieutenant but there is no record of any promotions from when he enlisted as a Private in his National Archives Service File
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