LONGDEN, Norman Anderson (1895-1945)

Modified on Wed, 23 Mar 2022 10:29 by Caroline Stok — Categorized as: Biography - All, Biography - Students, Geelong College, Biography of War - World War I

LONGDEN, Dr Norman Anderson (1895-1945)

Norman Longden (Cricket 1913).

Norman was born on 6 December 1895, the son of the successful Buninyong doctor, Francis 'Frank' Reginald Longden and his wife, Josephine Mary nee Robertson. He was educated at Geelong College entering as a boarder in 1906. He left in 1913. At College, he played in the 1st Football XVIII (1912-1913), and the 1st Cricket XI (1911-1913). He was in the 1st Rowing VIII, the Athletics Team, and a School Prefect in 1913. At Speech Day 1913 he was given a Special Sports Prize for the best bowling average and complimented his Champion Shot award of 1912 with that same shooting prize in 1913. In 1912, as a consequence of his outstanding all-round abilities, he was awarded the College's prestigious Dr Gus Kearney Memorial Prize. The following year, in 1913 he gained the Headmaster's Prize (jointly with D P S Dunlop).

He went on to Ormond College, The University of Melbourne, where he completed first year Medicine before enlisting (No. 194) during World War I in the Australian Army Medical Corps (AAMC) on 12 May 1915. He embarked for Egypt on 18 May 1915, where he was at 1 AGH, Heliopolis. He was invalided to Australia on 9 February 1916, and discharged on 4 May 1916.

He completed his medical studies at The University of Melbourne. In 1922, he purchased the practice of the late Dr Clarke, Ballarat and became a respected Ballarat surgeon. At the time, he was a resident surgeon at the Melbourne Hospital. That same year he married Amie Pyke Taylor (1894-1958), the daughter of Oliver Taylor (1860-1900) and Charlotte nee Winter (1872-1940) with whom he had two children. In 1932, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons. He re-enlisted (No. VX133062) during World War II on 29 December 1942 and served as a Major in the AAMC with the 2/1st Australian General Hospital (Port Moresby) until his discharge on 14 June 1944.

Norman passed away 9 January 1945.

Norman's father, Frank Reginald Longden (1862-1938), and brother, Cedric Reginald Longden (1891-1938), were also educated at Geelong College.

Sources: Geelong Collegians at the Great War compiled by James Affleck. p 237 and Geelong Collegians at the Second World War and Subsequent Conflicts compiled by James Affleck, p 332. (citing The University of Melbourne: Record of Active Service of Teachers, Graduates, Undergraduates, Officers and Servants -1926; The Pegasus; National Archives, Australian War Memorial).