People Australia

Norman Buchanan Balfour, n.d.

from Bank of NSW Roll of Honour

NORMAN BUCHANAN BALFOUR, was born on 26th September, 1894, at Napier, New Zealand, and was the son of Mr. Thomas Waitt Balfour, formerly Manager of the Bank of New Zealand, Napier, and Mrs. Balfour. He was educated in that town at the Boys’ High School, and joined the service of the Bank of New South Wales there on 18th January, 1911. He was ledger-keeper when he enlisted on 17th August, 1914.

He joined up with the Main Body Signallers, and took part with them in the Gallipoli landing on 25th April, 1915. He remained on the Peninsula until he was wounded on 20th August, and sent to England for convalescence. Released from hospital after the evacuation, he proceeded to France and joined his battalion—the First Wellington Infantry. For a time he acted with the Machine Gun Section, but when there was a call for volunteers for the Signallers, he rejoined his old unit, and remained with them until he met his death on 7th June, 1917, during the Battle of Messines.

From the reports of his comrades it appears that Signaller Balfour went forward to lay a communication line in the front line trenches, and succeeded in getting into conversation over the wire with his section. Suddenly he stopped speaking, and it was found later that he had been killed instantly by a shrapnel bullet in the head.