Charles Norris
Private Charles Norris – Australian Imperial Force, 12th Infantry Battalion
Early Life and Family
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| Charles Norris |
Charles and his brother, William George Foxcroft,
subsequently adopted their stepfather’s surname, becoming known as Norris.
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| Royal Mail Steam Packet Company ship Clyde Passenger List |
In 1901, the family returned to the United Kingdom aboard the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company ship Clyde, embarking from Ensenada, Mexico. The voyage included stops at Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Santos, Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, Pernambuco, St Vincent, Lisbon, and Vigo before arriving at Southampton on 1st July 1901.
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| 1911 Census |
By the 1911 Census, the Norris family was living at 9 Lynn Street, Cwmbwrla, Swansea. William, 40, worked as a carter carrier, while Harriet was 36. Their children included Charles, 18; William, 16; and Albert, 15, all employed as general labourers; and younger siblings Edith, 12; George, 10; Florrie, 8; Harry, 5; Eliza, 3; and Helena, 1.
Emigration and Enlistment
After 1911, Charles emigrated to Australia, and in January
1915, he volunteered for the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) at
Oaklands, South Australia.
His attestation papers contained inaccuracies: his
birthplace was wrongly recorded as Swansea; his age was given as 20 years 5
months, not the correct 21 years 5 months; and his next of kin was initially
listed as his brother in Swansea. These details were later amended to reflect
that he had a wife in Australia. His occupation was given as fireman,
and his medical examination described him as 5 ft 7½ in tall, 140 lbs, with
brown eyes and dark hair.
Charles began training before joining the 5th
Reinforcements of the 12th Infantry Battalion in February 1915. Early army
records describe him as struggling with discipline—incidents of drunkenness and
being absent without leave (AWOL) resulted in punishments and loss of pay. His
character at this time was summed up in one word: “bad.”
The Gallipoli Campaign
The 12th Infantry Battalion was heavily
involved in the Dardanelles (Gallipoli) campaign from April to December
1915. Charles arrived there in June 1915.
On 6th August 1915, he was wounded: “bullet
came through thigh and also hit left forefinger.” He was evacuated to the
Allied base at Mudros on the island of Lemnos, and in September was
transferred to England aboard the S.S. Reiva, arriving at Plymouth on 10
September 1915. He was admitted to the County of London Military
Hospital, Epsom, described as “severely wounded.”
By late November, he was still suffering with nerve damage:
“painful scar on thigh, stiff joint of first finger of left hand, end of finger
anaesthetic, anaesthesia of back of thigh.” A medical board deemed him
permanently unfit for active service but suitable for home duties. His
disability was assessed as reducing his earning capacity by a quarter.
Despite his injuries, Charles continued to resist military
discipline, with another AWOL incident in November 1915, when he visited
his family in Swansea. In March 1916, he was fined again and admitted to
hospital in Cambridge for treatment of an avoidable illness.
Weymouth and Fatal Accident
By December 1915, Charles was posted to the No. 2
Command Depot in Weymouth, an Australian Army facility for men unfit for
front-line service and awaiting repatriation.
On the night of 4th May 1916, tragedy
struck. While crossing a street in Weymouth, Charles was hit by a car with
dimmed lights, in accordance with blackout regulations. He neither saw nor
heard the vehicle, and the driver spotted him too late. Knocked down and
trapped beneath the car, he was rushed to Sidney Hall Military Hospital,
unconscious on arrival at 11:10 p.m. He died twenty minutes later. The cause of
death was recorded as a fractured base of skull. An inquest on 6th
May 1916 returned a verdict of accidental death, with no blame attached.
Sidney Hall Military Hospital, Weymouth
Sidney Hall was originally a Wesleyan chapel in
Weymouth, Dorset. At the outbreak of the First World War, it was taken over by
the Australian Imperial Force as a military hospital to care for sick
and wounded Australian soldiers based at the Weymouth depots.
The hospital became an important centre for treating men
deemed unfit for front-line service, particularly those awaiting repatriation
to Australia. Its small size and location in the town meant it offered
convalescent care as well as emergency treatment, such as in Charles’s case.
The presence of Australian hospitals, command depots, and
camps made Weymouth a hub for thousands of soldiers during the war. Sidney
Hall’s use as a hospital highlights the way local buildings across Britain were
converted into medical facilities to meet the urgent needs of the war.
The Weymouth Australian Depots
From 1915 onwards, Weymouth was home to three Australian
command depots, located at Monte Video House, Littlemoor, and Chickerell
Camp. These facilities were created to house thousands of Australian
soldiers who had been wounded, fallen ill, or been declared unfit for further
active service.
Men awaiting recovery or repatriation were sent to Weymouth,
making the town a major centre for the Australian Imperial Force in Britain.
Many of these men, like Charles Norris, had served at Gallipoli or on the
Western Front but were no longer able to return to the front lines. The depots
provided medical supervision, light duties, and a waiting place for the long
journey back to Australia.
Weymouth thus became both a place of respite and of
sadness—where soldiers recuperated, but also where some, like Charles, met
their untimely deaths.
Confusion Over His Marriage
Charles’s story did not end with his death. The Australian
Imperial Force was unaware he was married until a letter arrived on 24th
May 1916 from Muriel Gladys Norris of Sydney, who had read about his
death in the Sydney Morning Herald. She had received no word from
Swansea and sought confirmation.
It emerged that Charles had married Muriel Gladys Hobbs
in Adelaide on 18 March 1915, shortly after enlisting but before
departing for Gallipoli. The army only amended his records in July 1916
to acknowledge his widow. The confusion continued for years—his medals,
memorial plaque, and scroll were mistakenly sent to Swansea in 1922 and had to
be recalled before being forwarded to Muriel.
Burial and Commemoration
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| Charles Morris Swansea War Memorial |
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| Charles Norris St. Peter's Church credit - findagrave |
Charles Norris was buried on 11th May 1916
at St. Peter’s Church, Cockett, Swansea.
His name does not appear on the Fforestfach War Memorial
on Carmarthen Road, but he is listed on the Swansea War Memorial,
Oystermouth Road—although with the surname wrongly inscribed as Morris.
Legacy
Charles Norris was one of countless thousands whose military
careers were marked not by great acts of heroism but by service, sacrifice, and
ultimately tragedy. His unusual journey—from Argentina to Swansea, to
Australia, to Gallipoli, and finally back to Swansea—reflects the far-reaching
impact of the First World War.
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