GLASS, Norman Robert

Norman Robert Glass was born in 1893 at Albert Park Victoria. He was the eldest of two sons to Robert William Glass and his wife, Adelaide, nee Modral. He also nominated his elder sister Gladys Glass on his enlistment form,whose address he gave as the State Savings Bank, Elizabeth St., Melbourne.  Donald McNab Glass, owner of the Volunteer Arms Hotel, corner of Albert and Gisborne was probably his uncle. (Death Notice: The Argus 24 October 1910 p.1)

He gave as his next of kin his father, Robert, then  living at the Volunteer Arms Hotel, East Melbourne when his son enlisted on 26 July, 1915. Adelaide Glass had died in 1901.Tragically, Norman's younger brother, Harold Leighton Glass, born 1899, died in 1921, while his father was to die in 1927.

Norman Glass was twenty two years old and working as a clerk. He was immediately placed with B Company, 12 Depot Battalion for training, probably at Broadmeadows. He finished his training on 15 November, 1915, and was then assigned to the 7th Reinforcements of the 22nd Battalion AIF. The new recruits left Melbourne on 26 November on board HMAT Commonwealth A73, arriving in Egypt on 23 February, 1916. Here Norman Glass was transferred from the 22nd Battalion to the newly created 57th Battalion, made up of half Gallipoli veterans and half new recruits. On 1 April, he is described as rejoining his unit from hospital at Ferry Post, but no description of the illness is attached. On 14 April, he was with the 15th Infantry Brigade, presumably undergoing further training and from there was embarked for France. On 27 August, he was moved again, this time to the 60th Battalion, but then seconded immediately to the Australian Records Section, which presumably needed a clerk. It seems to have been located at Australian Army Headquarters in Rouen.

From here on, his record is vague, on 16 September, 1916, he was promoted to Staff Sergeant. Then, on 9 September, 1917, he fell ill and was transferred to the 1st Australian Stationary Hospital at Rouen, with what was described as 'gonorrheal arthritis'. He remained there for 26 days, rejoining his unit on 9 October, 1917. There is no further record of his military service other than that on 12 November, 1919, he ceased to be attached  - probably to the Records Section - and marched out for attachment to the AdministrativeHeadquarters in London, presumably to help with the task of demobilising and returning the troops to England, then home. He remained there until he himself was set to return: he was attached to the 59th Battalion and sent with the ship's staff to the HS Friedrichruh for the journey home.

In 1921, he was living in Rockhampton, Queensland, where probably he met his first wife, Millicent Haswell.

In 1925, he was entered on the Electoral Roll as living at 18 West Street, Fitzroy, and working as a clerk. He was then single. He married on 22 October, 1928, to Millicent Beatrice Haswell and they moved to Brisbane and then on to Rockhampton. They were in Rockhampton, Queensland, when she died in 1933, aged 29. In 1936, he was still in Rockhampton, a widower, working as a clerk at the Rockhampton Hotel. He was, by then, a respected member of the community and a long term member of the Rockhampton Anzac Club. The Morning Bulletin recorded that in February, 1936, he was given life membership of the club, plus 'a wallet of notes', having been nineteen years a member. This would place him in Rockhampton in 1916 or 1917, which is impossible given his war service, but was the date recorded in the newspaper. Perhaps all members counted their membership from the beginning of their war service abroad.

In 1937, Norman Glass married again to Rita Harriet Coxon. They moved into 'Cozy Dell Court', Flat 1, Melbourne Street, South Brisbane, and he changed jobs from clerk to Salesman.  They were still living there in 1954, the last entry on the Electoral Roll. Norman Glass died on 23 January, 1959, at Brisbane, Queensland.