Herbert Norman May
Herbert Norman May was born on the 18th of March 1894, at Tabulam, NSW, being the fifth child of William John May and Henrietta Sarah Ware. Norman had eight siblings Known as Bertie, he attended Drake Primary School from 1899.
He was a member of the local militia, joining the 9th Infantry on 1 July 1912, being promoted to Corporal on the 13th of September 1913.
May transferred to the 12th Infantry on the 1st of July 1914.
Working as a sawmill employee, May was appointed to the Casino Volunteer Fire Brigade on the 15th of July 1914 and after only a few months was “Struck Off” on the 30thof September 1914, due to his enlisting into the 15th Battalion, AIF on the 15th of September 1914.
Given the number 318, Bertie was promoted to Lance Corporal on the 1st of October 1914.
After initial training, Bertie embarked on HMAT A40 Ceramic in Melbourne on the 22nd of December 1914, sailing for Egypt, via Albany.
Bertie, alongside his 15th Battalion comrades, went ashore at Gallipoli about 16:00 hours on the 25th of April 1915.
On the morning of the 9th of May, the Commanding Officer of the 15th Battalion, Colonel Cannan,in line with the aggressive policy of making minor attacks on the Anzac front and to find out what the Turks were doing, proposed to attack the enemy’s trenches in front of Quinn’s Hill. The attack proceeded at 22:30 hours and was a partial success, but, owing to a portion of the trench continuing to be occupied by the Turkish, who could not be dislodged, the decision was made for a withdrawal back to the 15th’s original position. The withdrawal was completed at 06:00 hours, on the 10th of May and the Turks put in a determined counter attack at 07:00 hours, which was repulsed by the soldiers of the 15th. But the 15th had suffered 160 killed and wounded during the withdrawal to their original position. So on the night of the 9thand 10thof May 1915, Bertie was killed in action and was most likely buried at the cemetery at Quinn’s Post, during the armistice that was agreed upon, between the Australians and Turks on the 20th May.
May was reinterred at Johnston’s Jolly Cemetery in 1919.
In March 1920, one of Norman May’s identity discs was found in the vicinity of Pope’s Hill and returned to his Family.
The NSW Fire Brigades Volunteer Register, records May as having been “Killed in Action, Dardenelles”.
For his service, Herbert Norman May received the 1914 / 15 Star, British War Medal and the Victory Medal