“I’m leaving a gift in my Will to the Army Benevolent Fund as a ‘thank you’ to the service that made me the man I am today.”
Mick Norton joined the Royal Engineers (known as Sappers) in 1962, aged 18. “In truth, I was glad to get away from the unemployment that prevailed in Eastleigh at the time,” he said.
Mick remained with the Army until 1994, serving for 32 years. In 1973 he was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for Meritorious Service as a Royal Engineers Plant Operator Corporal, for essential building work in the then-British Solomon Islands. “Outside of my family unit, it’s the proudest moment of my life,” said Mick. “I was cast ashore like Robinson Crusoe, just me and 200 local Solomon Islanders building a 25-mile road with bridges.”
“As young Sappers, we were introduced to the Army Benevolent Fund provision of lifetime support for soldiers and their families. I recently used the National Free Wills Network to rewrite my will and leave a donation, so the ABF can continue their vital work after I’m gone.”
Mick was born on 12th December 1944. “My Irish mother and Welsh father had both moved to England after the outbreak of World War Two, which is where they met,” he said. “Dad had wanted to join the Army, but his job – in an iron foundry on the Eastleigh railway works – was deemed too important for him to leave.”
“When the war ended in 1945, my Mum and Irish Auntie Ella went to the pub to celebrate, taking me with them. The pub was rammed with jubilant American and British servicemen. They kept putting two bob bits and half-crowns into my pram, which was soon turned into bottles of stout… and I ended up getting left behind in the pub!”
“As I grew up, I learned some important moral and ethical values from my parents, especially my father,” said Mick. “Being truthful, generous, patient – and most importantly, loyal – were paramount.
My English teacher, Mr. Leonard Arthur Pretty, was also hugely influential in my life. He was a World War One veteran, and his teachings are etched in my mind forever… particularly when he made me and a friend join his Morris dancers as a punishment for being cheeky in class!”
On leaving school, Mick worked in a local abattoir with his schoolfriend, Frank Greaney. “We then signed up for the Army together because we’d been made unemployed,” said Mick. “Frank ended up doing 22 years in the Army, and I did 32.”
“I travelled the world with the Army as a Plant Operator and Military Plant Foreman serving in, BAOR, Singapore, Malaya, Thailand, Gibraltar, N Ireland, British Columbia, Solomon Islands, UK, Kenya, Rhodesia, Cyprus, Oman and finally the TA in the West Midlands.”
Mick met his soon-to-be wife, Patricia, while he was posted to Ripon, North Yorkshire. Soon after their wedding, he was sent to Oman for two years. Later, following training at the Royal School of Military Engineering, Mick became a Warrant Officer Class One, and was commissioned shortly afterwards.
“I served my last five years in the Army in the UK,” said Mick. “Two years before I left, I moved with Patricia and our children to Wakefield, which is where we’ve lived ever since. At nearly 81 I’m grateful to still be in reasonable health, and for my loving wife and family. They’ve given me a lot of support over the years.”
“When I left the Army I took several resettlement courses, and at each one I was informed about the ABF. I think it’s crucial to remember that they have supported soldiers and veterans of every conflict since World War Two.”
Mick chose to re-write his Will following some changes in his family. “I saw that the ABF work with the National Free Wills Network,” he said. “Their offer was superb – I could amend my Will and donate to a charity I care about. It was easy to arrange and easy to do. The solicitor I worked with was very knowledgeable, too, not just about the process but what the ABF represents.”
“Re-writing my Will with the National Free Wills Network wasn’t just about the financial benefit to me. It felt hugely important to work with an organisation that supports the ABF. It feels good to know that I will be helping other members of the Army Family in times of need.”