Norman Leslie Steele (1896–1917)
SECOND LIEUTENANT NORMAN LESLIE STEELE
The youngest son of Philip John and Albertine Steele, he was born in 1896. Educated at Melbourne Grammar School 1904-1915 — Captain of Rusden House, Prefect, XVIII, VIII, Rifle and Athletics teams. Captain of the XI when it made the world record score of 961 vs Geelong College. Left School at the end of Term I in 1915 and joined the Flying School at Point Cook. Commissioned in Egypt in the Australian Flying Corps in October 1916. Served with 2 and 1 Squadrons. He died in German hands after his Martinsyde aircraft was shot down and crashed behind Turkish lines in Hareira, Palestine, on April 20, 1917.
In honour of the three Steele brothers, the area at Melbourne Grammar known as the Wilderness was reconstructed and names the Steele Memorial Ground. There is also a commemorative plaque in St. Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne.
Original Publication
Additional Resources and Scholarship
- World War I service record, item B2455, STEELE NORMAN LESLIE (National Archives of Australia)
Related Entries in NCB Sites
- Steele, Johanna Albertina (mother)
- Corin, Albertina Millicent (sister)
- Steele, Frederick Wilberforce (brother)
- Steele, Philip John (brother)
- Steele, Henry Cyril (brother)
- Steele, Rupert (nephew)
- Steele, Norman Cyril (nephew)
Citation details
'Steele, Norman Leslie (1896–1917)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/steele-norman-leslie-20548/text31440, accessed 14 March 2025.
Life Summary [details]
Birth
1896
Kew, Melbourne,
Victoria,
Australia
Death
20 April,
1917
(aged ~ 21)
Hareira,
Palestine
Cause of Death
Cultural Heritage
Includes subject's nationality; their parents' nationality; the countries in which they spent a significant part of their childhood, and their self-identity.
Religious Influence
Includes the religion in which subjects were raised, have chosen themselves, attendance at religious schools and/or religious funeral rites; Atheism and Agnosticism have been included.