Philip Norris Palmer

A Private with the 9th Battalion, Philip died on 16th of September 1916 at the age of 25. 

Philip was born at Lowestoft on 27 February 1892, a son of Philip Norris and Sarah Elizabeth Palmer. He was baptised at Saint Margaret’s Church on 27 March 1892, and his family lived at 48 Haward Street. In 1901 his family lived at Barrett’s Buildings, Albert Street. In 1911 they lived at 3 Albany Road and Philip was a tram conductor working for Lowestoft Corporation.    

On 22 June 1913 Philip married Dora Whales at Saint Margaret’s Church. Philip was a motorman living at 3 Albany Road and Dora lived at 42 Saint Margaret’s Road. Later Dora lived at 27 Kimberley Road. In 1921 Dora married Jeffrey Waller and they lived at North Street, Great Dunham, King’s Lynn. 

Philip volunteered and enlisted in the Army at Lowestoft in 1914. He joined the Suffolk Regiment, service number 15527, and was posted to the 9th Battalion. He arrived in France with the battalion on 31 August 1915 and served with C Company.  

Colonel Murphy’s ‘The History of the Suffolk Regiment 1914-1927’ has the following account of the 9th Battalion’s involvement in the Battle of Loos from 25 to 27 September 1915, pages 121-122:

At 8 p.m. on 25 September the 9th Battalion moved off and began to wend its way, in a double line of platoons, across the battlefield of Loos. A steady advance – not towards the 9th Division as originally intended, but in the direction of Vendin-le-Vieil – was maintained, the battalion passing in turn over its own support line, its own front line, the German front line, and the German support line. About midnight the advance was held up, the battalion digging themselves in between that hour and dawn, with the German support line still behind them. At 5 a.m. they were ordered back to that line.
During the forenoon of the 26th an order was received for an attack at 11 a.m. with the 9th Battalion to support the 72nd Brigade, following some 600 yards behind. Unfortunately, however, this order was not received until 11.25 a.m., whereupon Lieutenant-Colonel, passing a message down the line, ordered the battalion to advance immediately. Without hesitation each section mounted the parapet and began pushing forward under heavy artillery fire towards the objective of the previous evening. 
The advance continued until the leading line reached a point about two hundred yards or so beyond the Hulluch-Lens Road where it was definitely checked. At 5 p.m. the right flank began to give way. For three hours the centre held on to the road, and during that time the flanks advanced and retired twice. Then the left flank, coming under a heavy machine-gun fire from the direction of Hulluch, was forced back. Here most of the 9th Battalion’s casualties occurred.
About 2 a.m. on the 27th the battalion was relieved.

The Battalion’s casualties were: 
Officers, one killed, six wounded
Other ranks, nine killed, two died of wounds, 81 wounded, 45 missing

Philip was wounded during the battle, receiving a gunshot wound to his right thigh. By 30 September he was at No 2 General Hospital and, on that day, was evacuated to England, viz Hospital Ship Asturias. 

Philip was wounded for a second time in 1916 and his name appears in the War Office Daily List 3 April 1916. 

On 13 September 1916 the 9th Battalion were in trenches near Guinchy on the Somme. At 6.20 a.m. they attacked the German lines and were able to capture two lines of German trenches, however, the enemy artillery and machine-gun fire inflicted heavy casualties. The situation could not be cleared up and so, at 7.30 a.m. A Company made an attack on the German strongpoint known as The Quadrilateral, but they failed to reach their objective due to enemy machine-gun fire. By the end of the day two officers and 15 men had been killed and 10 officers and 185 men wounded. 

On 15 September the Battalion made an attack on the enemy trenches with a final objective between Lesbouchs and Morval. The Battalion were to advance at 7.50 a.m. There was heavy enemy artillery and machine-gun fire and half of C Company could not even leave the trench. The rest of the Battalion were held up by heavy machine-gun fire from The Quadrilateral. There were many casualties, including Lieutenant-Colonel Mack. During the day the Battalion lost four officers and 35 men killed, seven officers and 99 men wounded, and two officers and 93 men missing. 

The Army Register of Soldiers' Effects shows that Philip was killed in action between 13 and 16 September 1916. But the 9th Battalion war diary states that there were no casualties on 16 September.