Norman Kinamond Harvey was born in Fitzroy in 1884.  He was the son of John Henry Harvey and his wife, Henrietta Kinamond nee Fairbairn.  John Harvey was an architect and for many years was the architect for the Public Works Department and was responsible for the design of a number of public buildings across Victoria.  He was a man also described as ‘one of the best amateur photographers of the 19th century.’  An excellent biographical article about him has been written by Robert Haldane [link below].  For Henrietta it was a second marriage, her first husband being John William Coath, ‘a reputed slave trader and bigamist, who died when he was speared by natives in 1874.’

 

The family moved to East Melbourne in 1885 and many years later Norman wrote a short memoir for the Royal Historical Society of Victoria recalling his life growing up in East Melbourne.  It was reprinted in the East Melbourne Historical Society’s Newsletter of February 2002 [link below].  His family moved several times within East Melbourne before buying the house at 128 Powlett Street in about 1897.  Norman lived there until 1914 but his father remained there until his death in 1938.  Norman’s primary school years were spent at a small private school in Hoddle Street.  For his senior years he went to Scotch College,

matriculating in 1902.  He gained passes in Latin, English, History, French, Arithmetic and Chemistry.

 

Norman enlisted in Sydney on 23 November 1915 at the age of 31 years and 4 months, giving his father as his next of kin.  He described himself as a schoolmaster (formerly analyst).  At the time he was teaching at the Cooeswull Academy, Bowenfels, NSW, (near Bathurst).    He was described as 5ft 9½ ins tall with a sallow complexion, blue eyes and brown hair.  He was assigned to ‘B’ Coy, 20th Battalion at Casula as a private.  

He embarked from Sydney aboard HMAT Nestor on 9 April 1916 as part of the 11th Reinforcements. He was sent to France on 9 September 1916 and was taken on strength on 2 October 1916.  On 11 November he was admitted to hospital with trench feet.  He convalesced in England.  On 14 March 1917 he was transferred to Australian Signal Engineers Wireless Section.  A week later he was admitted to Parkhouse Hospital from Drafting Depot at Perham Downs with Mumps.  He was sent to France for a second time on 16 August 1917.  On 12 September 1917 he was attached to 1st Anzac Wireless Section from 20th Battalion and became a sapper.  No doubt this was kinder to the feet.  On 6 October 1917 he appears to have gone missing as a letter was sent to the Wireless Corps asking for his whereabouts.  Later in the month he was taken on strength of 2nd Signal Coy.  In late February 1918 he was granted ten days leave in Paris.  On 30 May 1918 he was wounded in action (gassed) but was out of hospital within a few days.  By 22 May 1919 he was back in England and while waiting for transport home was granted five months leave to study languages at Mottes Academie, Tregastel, Cotes-du-Nord, France.  He returned to Australia, again on the Nestor, on 1 November 1919.  He disembarked at Melbourne and was discharged on 1 March 1920.  

 

After the war Norman moved to Queensland where he attended Brisbane University, gaining a BA. He married Margaret Ida Glyde, nee Fletcher on 4 July 1922.  She came from what was described as ‘a well-known military family’ which seems to have had some bearing on Norman’s later interests. It was her second marriage.  After university Norman initially set himself up as a private tutor, offering instruction for University exams, but soon managed to get postings as a schoolmaster at schools in Queensland and New South Wales. By 1932 he had joined the Australian Chemical Institute as an associate and reverted to his former profession of analyst.  Never quite giving up his teaching instincts he wrote a short book entitled Chemistry Notes as an aid to students.  This was published in 1933.  He also again took up his role as a private tutor using the premises of St. Columb’s Hall in Clayfield where his brother-in-law was rector.  During the 1930s he wore a number of hats.  He was historian of maps at Oxley Memorial Library in 1936 and was on the committee established to create a war memorial section within the library.  In 1937 he was appointed history editor of the 9th Battalion which resulted in his book, From Anzac to the Hindenburg Line, the history of the 9th Battalion, published in 1941, profits going to ‘the relief of distress among ex-members of 9th Battalion’.  The first three chapters of this were reissued in 1965 as The Landing at Anzac. The 9th Battalion had been the first to be raised in Queensland.  At the same time he was member of several committees including the Author’s and Artists’ Association, the Seamen’s Mission and the Church of England Men’s Society.

 

A man obviously of diverse interests and knowledge in later life he became a regular contestant in the National Quiz Championship.  He never won but in 1946 he was runner-up, stumbling over the question, 'Who holds the Australian 100 yards record?'

 

In 1965 he wrote to the vicar of Holy Trinity Church, East Melbourne, enclosing photos of the earlier church after it had burnt down on New Year’s Day 1905.  He, like his father, was an accomplished photographer. Sadly in his letter he disclosed that he was blind and could no longer see the photos.  He donated his diaries, 1900-1916, and also other papers 1914-1918, to the Oxley Memorial Library, Queensland.

 

He died in 1969