Norman Vince was born in Stratford in 1896. He was one of seven children born to John William and Kitty Vince. Norman’s father was a house painter, his older sister Kitty was a servant, and his brother John was a grocer’s boy. In 1901, Norman lived with his parents at Violet Cottage, George Lane, South Woodford. By the 1911 census, the Vince family was living at 1 Oak Villas, Oakdale Road, South Woodford, and Norman was working as an errand boy for a baker. By 1914, Norman had become a grocer’s assistant.
In spite of a squint in both eyes, Norman successfully enlisted at Stratford on 31st August 1914, with the 8th Battalion, Rifle Brigade. He was sent to the front on the 19th May
1915. Norman was slightly wounded in action on 5th June 1915, but returned to duty the same day. On 30th July 1915, he was ‘killed in action’ during the Battle of Hooge, during which his Division became the first to be attacked by German flamethrowers. His name is on the Ypres Memorial, Menin Gate, Belgium.
Research by Adrian Lee and Redbridge Museum
Sources:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Ancestry.com