When War was declared in August 1914 the
Norfolk Island population was less than 700 and almost entirely composed of
families descended from the original eight that had arrived from Pitcairn
Island fifty-eight years previously. Without hesitation, eighty-two Norfolk
Island men (representing two thirds of the adult male population) and two women
enlisted in the War. This was the highest enlistment per capita of any country
of the Empire. Seventeen of the men served at Gallipoli, with four in the
initial landings on the 25th April 1915.
In the front room of The R.E.O. a
short-term display has recently been opened profiling one person from each of
the original Pitcairn Islander families: Jonathon Lorenzo Crosby ‘Lorenzo’ Adams,
Allen Fletcher Buffett, Cornelius Stephen ‘Lerm’ Christian, John Arthur Evans, Augustine
Stanley McCoy, Charles Henry Ffrench ‘Harry’ Nobbs, Byron
George ‘Lowie’ Quintal and Wilfred Francis Young.
Of
these men, three were Killed in Action: Allen Buffett, John Evans and Wilfred
Young. Lowie Quintal died nine years after the war from an illness said to have
occurred during his war service. Lowie was the most decorated, receiving a
Distinguished Conduct Medal for his actions during fighting in the French town
of Villers-Bretonnneux during the bloody Battle of the Somme. The Supplement in
the London Gazette cited the award was: “For
conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He was in charge of a Lewis gun in
a strong position which the enemy attempted to raid under cover of an intense
bombardment. He at once opened Lewis gun fire and when the gun jammed he
attacked the enemy with bombs and assisted in driving them off with
considerable losses. His coolness and initiative were an inspiration to his
comrades.”
The enlisting Norfolk men and women went
without hesitation and the full support of loved ones left behind to keep
families together and the island running. The impact on the community left on
Norfolk Island was substantial. This was not only as each loss of life was not
only felt by their immediate family, but as a small closely linked people, the
whole community would have mourned each loss.
The unquestioned support of this island’s people to Britain’s call to
war was reported on in a February 9th 1916 article in the Sydney
Morning Herald by ‘S.C’ who had recently visited the island. He reported “It was a surprise to find this people, who
owe their existence to a mutiny on a British man-of-war, intense in their
Imperial spirit, and enthusiastic in their loyalty to the Empire. With no daily
newspapers to feed their interest, no politicians to fire their zeal, their
only link with the war’s progress a meager cable report nailed to a tree at the
cross-roads, they are making a noble contribution to our nation’s need. Already
nearly 50 have left the little island to fight in the war. Their donations of
patriotic funds have mounted to hundreds of pounds sterling, while abundant
gifts of jam, made from their choicest fruits, have been sent to Sydney. In
addition to this, there is a flourishing Red Cross Society, and the list of
garments sent from the island is an indication that the women are working at
high pressure”.
S.C. then tells of a tennis match he
attended that finished with a parade of five men about to leave the island to
join the War. Cornish Quintal, by then a much respected elder of the community
spoke to the boys: “Be brave, for you are
descended from the bravest men that ever lived. Your forefathers were the only
men who ever took a British battleship. Who should fight for England as our
children? How would the Germans have dealt with your forefathers? England
forgave them, protected them, and gave them this beautiful island. Fight boys,
and win. God be with you. I wish I were young enough to go with you”.
‘Without Hesitation: Norfolk Islanders and
World War I’ is on display in The R.E.O. open Monday to Friday 9.00am to
3.00pm. Entry is free and the display runs until June 30.
