Norman Roger Tomkins
Memorial: Hanham - High Street
Regiment: Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
Medals: 1939–45 Star, War Medal 1939–1945
Rank and number: Private 14365558
Parents: Charles Harril and Katherine Isobel Tomkins
Home address: 27 Hollyguest Road, Hanham, Bristol
Pre-war occupation: Wing assembly aero work
Date of birth: c. 1924
Place of birth: Bristol
Date of death: 03/08/1944
Buried/Commemorated at: Hermanville War Cemetery (Ref. 2. D. 3.), France
Age: 20
Further information:
Norman attended Hanham Road Senior Boys School until the age of 14. His father was a market gardener. Norman worked with his uncle who was an organ builder and at the outbreak of war worked at Douglas of Kingswood. On release from Douglas, he worked as a lorry driver for a firm clearing up bomb damage in Bristol, Bath and Weston Super Mare
Norman was part of the D Day landings (6th June 1944) - 6th Beach Group, they landed near Riva Bella, Ouistreham, France. The fighting was very heavy and on the seventh day, Norman was put on a hospital ship back to England with a suspected broken arm, which he had damaged when jumping into a trench on top of his mate Gordon ‘Chalkie’ White. On 24th July he was sent back to France to find the 1st Battalion, Ox and Bucks had been split up to form the 5th Seaforths and the 1st Battalion Black Watch. While on guard duty on 3rd August 1944, he was killed by shrapnel from a mortar bomb
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
This information is based by kind permission on the following sources:
1) Booklet ‘Not Just a Name on Stone’ by Hanham Local History Society
2) Thanks to Mr R Crew and Mrs. M Antill of Hanham Local History society for their help
3) Jo Hurst, Volunteer researcher Second World War Stories Project