Norman Thomas Patten
Biography
Role: Able Seaman, Royal Australian Navy — HMAS Perth (I); killed in action, WWII
Born: 25 July 1917 — Houghton, South Australia
Died: 1 March 1942 (aged 24) — Sunda Strait, Netherlands East Indies (KIA)
Father: Thomas Henry Patten
Mother: Beatrice Maud (Dillon) Patten (a Dillon-line connection to the Telfer family)
Branch: Dillon line of the Telfer tree — fated in the family's war-generation cluster
War Service
Able Seaman Norman Thomas Patten (Service No. 24690), Royal Australian Navy aboard HMAS Perth (I) D29. He enlisted with the RAN on 1 July 1941 (having earlier served in the AIF as Private/Gunner S11534, 48 Field Battery, from 6 Aug 1940), and was killed in action when HMAS Perth was sunk in the Sunda Strait, Netherlands East Indies, on 1 March 1942 during the Battle of Sunda Strait.
He has no known grave — commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial, Panel 73, Column 3 ("Known Unto God"), and on the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, the Adelaide WW2 Wall of Remembrance, and the St Peters Heroes War Memorial. Son of Thomas Henry and Beatrice Maud Patten, of St Peters, South Australia.
⚠️ Family-book vs official record: A Telfer Family Tree (Supplement, p.197) records him dying "28 Feb 1942, HMAS Perth, Indian Ocean." The documented loss of HMAS Perth was 1 March 1942 in the Sunda Strait, Dutch East Indies, when the ship was sunk in action. The identity is solid across records; the book's precise day/location is treated as approximate family recollection — the official loss date/location (1 Mar 1942, Sunda Strait) is used here.
Life Summary
Norman Thomas Patten was born 25 July 1917 at Houghton, South Australia, son of Thomas Henry Patten and Beatrice Maud (Dillon) Patten of St Peters, South Australia. He was an electrical mechanic with the Adelaide Electric Supply Co. before the war. He enlisted in the Australian Military Forces on 6 August 1940, served with the 48 Field Battery, then joined the Royal Australian Navy on 1 July 1941 as an Ordinary Seaman. He was an Able Seaman aboard HMAS Perth (I) when the cruiser was sunk with heavy loss of life in the Sunda Strait on 1 March 1942. He is remembered on the Plymouth Naval Memorial and the AWM Roll of Honour alongside his family's other war dead of the Dillon generation.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 25 Jul 1917 | Born — Houghton, South Australia |
| 6 Aug 1940 | Enlisted AIF (Private 48 Field Battery, Kensington SA) |
| 1 Jul 1941 | Enlisted Royal Australian Navy (Ordinary Seaman 24690) |
| — | Rose to Able Seaman aboard HMAS Perth (I) D29 |
| 1 Mar 1942 | Killed in action — HMAS Perth sunk, Sunda Strait, Dutch East Indies (aged 24) |
Sources
- Find A Grave: Able Seaman Norman Thomas Patten (1917–1942) — memorial 13301756 — accessed 6 Sep 2026 (born 25 Jul 1917 Houghton SA; RAN Able Seaman Svc 24690; HMAS Perth (I) D29; KIA Sunda Strait 1 Mar 1942 aged 24; son of Thomas Henry & Beatrice Maud Patten of St Peters SA; Plymouth Naval Memorial)
- Virtual War Memorial Australia: Norman Thomas PATTEN — VWMA 504989 — accessed 6 Sep 2026 (RAN Svc 24690, enl. 1 Jul 1941, KIA Sunda Strait 1 Mar 1942; earlier AIF S11534)
- AWM Roll of Honour portrait: Norman Thomas Patten — P10278067 — candidate portrait
- Book: A Telfer Family Tree (Supplement to From the Borders to the Bush, 2008), p.197 — family record of the service (approximate date/location corrected to official)