{"product_id":"ww1-royal-marines-light-infantry-medal-quartet-service-masonic-papers-george-thomas-norman","title":"WW1 Royal Marines Light Infantry Medal Quartet \u0026 Service \/ Masonic Papers - George Thomas Norman","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eWW1 Royal Marines Light Infantry Medal Quartet \u0026amp; Service \u0026amp; Masonic Papers - George Thomas Norman who was involved in the Murmansk Campaign in Russia in 1918\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe medal set contains :\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e- WW1 1914-15  Star\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e- WW1 Victory Medal\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e- WW1 War Medal\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e- George V Navy Long Service \u0026amp; Good Conduct medal (awarded 25th March 1925)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe set also contains his original service history document which is a fascinating record, together with a Real photo postcard featuring him at the centre\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eAlso included is a small flag which is likely to be a souvenir from part of his Service.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIt also contains his Masonic certificates for :\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e- Sir Redvers Buller Lodge 1921\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e- Union of Malta Lodge 1922\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e- Noah Lodge Malta 1922\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e- Melita Chapter Malta 1923\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e- Wayfarer Lodge Malta 1926\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e+ A number of Masonic booklets\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eNote that during the early 1920s he was based at the HMS Egmont fort \/ shore base in Malta, providing the connection to Malta - the Real photo Postcard shows him in his RM uniform in a Masonic setting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThere are also copies of a number of items of research material including a nice pictorial summary\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eGeorge Thomas Norman R.M.L.I. (15674)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eGeorge was born in 1891 in Braintree in Essex England.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eHe enlisted in the Royal Marines on 2 June 1910 as a Recruit at the Deal Depot in Kent.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ePortsmouth Division: After training, he was assigned to the Portsmouth Division in May 1911.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eHe spent his early career on the cruiser HMS Essex (1912) and the cruiser HMS Royal Arthur (1912–1913).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eHe served aboard HMS Spartiate from 15 February 1913 to 30 June 1913. During this pre-war era, HMS Spartiate was a training ship that frequently interacted with Atlantic transit routes. Furthermore, his early cruiser deployments routinely patrolled the Atlantic and West Indies stations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eHis WW1 service included both the Mediterranean to the Arctic Circle:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eHMS Prince of Wales: He boarded her in Feb 1915 and remained until April 1917. This long deployment in the Mediterranean and Adriatic is what earned him his 1914–15 Star.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eHMS Glory (The Murmansk Campaign): his Service document tracks his time on the Arctic flagship. He served on HMS Glory from 22 Feb 1918 to 17\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eOct 1918\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eOn 6th\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eMarch 1918\u003c\/b\u003e—just two weeks after he arrived on board, HMS Glory landed a party of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e130 Royal Marines\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003edirectly onto Russian soil to secure Murmansk and hold off a feared invasion by Finnish forces aligned with Germany.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIn May 1918, the Admiralty formed the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eRoyal Marine Field Force North Russia\u003c\/b\u003e. This field force pulled together a dedicated company of RMLI troops comprised of a platoon from each of the major divisions. As a Corporal, Norman would have been leading one of these specialized infantry squads.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eHMS Glory (On Passage):\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eFrom 18 October 1918 to 28 October 1918, he is listed as \"On Passage\"—meaning he was aboard a transport vessel heading back to the UK right before the Armistice.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eFollowing the war he chose to remain a career Marine, leading to his eventual Long Service decoration:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eHMS Minotaur:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eDirectly after returning from Russia, he joined the armored cruiser HMS Minotaur (December 1918 – December 1919).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\"\u003eHe was\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003ePromoted to Sergeant\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003ein April\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e1919\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eShore Battalions:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eIn 1920, he served with the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e6th Royal Marine Battalion (6th R.M. Bn)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eat Chatham.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eHMS Centurion \u0026amp; HMS Egmont:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eIn the early 1920s, he served aboard the battleship HMS Centurion and the shore base HMS Egmont (Malta).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli dir=\"ltr\"\u003eGeorge then returned home to live in Portsmouth but unfortunately in August 1928 he was seen drunk during the day whilst wearing his uniform. A copy of the newspaper report details that he was due to be demoted as a result.  Before a demotion took place George tragically took his own life on the 18th August 1928.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Peaks Militaria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55018754507091,"sku":null,"price":295.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0814\/3755\/7075\/files\/rn-image_picker_lib_temp_b22bf177-e2ad-4012-8952-4df5c52a5d01.jpg?v=1790026703","url":"https:\/\/peaksmilitaria.com\/products\/ww1-royal-marines-light-infantry-medal-quartet-service-masonic-papers-george-thomas-norman","provider":"Peaks Militaria","version":"1.0","type":"link"}