Benjamin Norman Palmer

Benjamin Norman was my grandfather.

He was born at 14 Summerhill Parade, Dublin on 05 July 1877, the son of Benjamin Michael and Annie Palmer. Ben was one of four children, including George Christopher and Anne Mary. He lived at 26 Lower Gloucester Street until about 1886, when the family moved to 25 Portland Row, Dublin.

He was an Accountant, who worked in Glasgow (possibly), Belfast and Derry, where he had an office in Castle Street, near The Diamond.

When Ben moved to Belfast, he lived in Salisbury Street. His intention was to " .. give Catholics jobs .. ". He married Josephine Loughnan at the Holy Rosary Church in Belfast on 05 August 1900. They had five children, Benny, Margaret ("Maisie"), Anne ("Doe") and twins Olive and Martha.

They lived at 39 Sandhurst Gardens, Belfast from 1902 until about 1903, when they moved to 4 Grafton Terrace, Derry. By 1914, they were living at 17 High Street, in the heart of the Bogside.

Ben volunteered to join the Royal Army Service Corps at the outbreak of The Great War, and died in uniform less than one month later in September 1914.

See his commemorative scroll and medal.

He is buried at St Andrews Church, South Stoke, Oxfordshire, England.