Private Norman Mackay Field lived in Inkerman Street Granville, NSW when he enlisted on the 17 March 1916 with 4 Reinforcements of the 45 Australian Infantry Battalion (service number 2176). He was 32 years old, single and worked as a cement worker at Goodlet and Smith’s in Merrylands. He had previously served 18 months with the Scottish Rifles. Norman was Methodist and his next of kin, his sister Ethel May Field, lived in North Sydney.
On the 22 August 1916 he embarked from Sydney on the HMAT Wiltshire A18, and disembarked at Plymouth, England on the 13 October 1916. He proceeded to France with the 45 Battalion on the 8 January 1917 on the “Princess Henrietta” and on the 18 January 1917 was transferred to the 4 Division of the Australian Division Base Depot.
Private Norman Field was killed in action during the battle at Messines, Belgium (France) on the 7 June 1917 at 34 years of age, and was posthumously awarded the Victory Medal. He has no known grave and is remembered with honour on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium.
