John William Goth Norris was a Londoner who married in the capital in 1940. He served in the Royal Artillery. He died in hospital in Chelmsford in September 1943 having been fatally injured when trying to jump on the running board of a slow moving lorry. His gome was in Cheshire.

John was born in Lambeth, London in 1913, the son of William Arthur Norris (1885-1978) and Betty Rosalie Norris (nee Goth) (1887-1970). His parents had married at Christ Church in Brixton, London on 15th April 1911. John's maternal grandparents were both German-born. John had a younger sister, Myrtle E. Norris, born in 1920.

In 1940 John married Constance Shasher in south-east London.

During the Second World War he served as Gunner (Officer Cadet) 14502895 in the Royal Artillery.

On 14th September 1943 he died at Chelmsford & Essex Hospital from injuries sustained when he slipped from the running board of a moving lorry. An inquest held into his death heard that the 30 year-old lived at Eden Avenue, Culcheth near Warrington in Cheshire.

John William Goth NORRIS, Gunner (Officer Cadet), Royal Artillery

Died in Chelmsford & Essex Hospital after being run over by a lorry. Aged 30

Cadet Norman Lambert gave evidence that they were carrying out an exercise at Danbury and John was 'shepherding' a lorries to form a convoy. He signalled to one vehicle to proceed from a side track on to the main road, and as it went forward at about four miles per hour John jumped on to the running-board. He lost his footing, clutched at the side of the vehicle and fell. The lorry passed over him. The Coroner recorded a verdict of Accidental Death, stating that the only reasonable explanation was that John's steel-studded boots slipped on the steel running-board. The Coroner was satisfied that it was a perfectly normal exercise carried out in a perfectly normal manner.

Today John lies at Southend-on-Sea North Road Cemetery (Plot D. Row 2. Grave 6). His wife later lived in Blackheath, London.

He left an estate valued at £238 10s. 7d.

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