Henry Norman OBE
Death date
1995
Biography
Henry Norman joined the Hackney Red Cross at the age of 10 and stayed there until his death in 1995. He was respected by a great number of people in Hackney. He dedicated his life to the Red Cross. As Director, he manned the building every single night without fail.
Personal Experience shared by Ian Phillips, Red Cross Volunteer:
“He was like a walking encyclopaedia. Even head office phoned for his advice. I never heard him raise his voice if he wanted something done he would ask you and it was done immediately. He was the chief claims clerk for Legal and General Insurance. He came straight to the Red Cross building after work every single night. Got his dinner out the chip shop and stayed here till 11 or 12 at night. Every night and Saturday and Sunday from 7 in the morning till late at night. When he died the soul was ripped out of the place. We lost 66% of our members. Because Henry wasn't there they didn't want to be there. The funeral was amazing. Police blocked every junction from Morning Lane to Manor Park cemetery.
Even now, 14 years on we still miss him. He never had a bad word for anybody; even if somebody was a real pain he always found the good in them. He was awarded the British Empire medal in the late 1980s.
You couldn't find a nicer and more dedicated bloke. When I come into this building now I still expect to see him. All those years on. We honestly believe that if he'd carried on he would have ended up as the Operations Director for London - he was that respected by everybody. A big loss, a massive loss."
Personal Experience shared by Ian Phillips, Red Cross Volunteer:
“He was like a walking encyclopaedia. Even head office phoned for his advice. I never heard him raise his voice if he wanted something done he would ask you and it was done immediately. He was the chief claims clerk for Legal and General Insurance. He came straight to the Red Cross building after work every single night. Got his dinner out the chip shop and stayed here till 11 or 12 at night. Every night and Saturday and Sunday from 7 in the morning till late at night. When he died the soul was ripped out of the place. We lost 66% of our members. Because Henry wasn't there they didn't want to be there. The funeral was amazing. Police blocked every junction from Morning Lane to Manor Park cemetery.
Even now, 14 years on we still miss him. He never had a bad word for anybody; even if somebody was a real pain he always found the good in them. He was awarded the British Empire medal in the late 1980s.
You couldn't find a nicer and more dedicated bloke. When I come into this building now I still expect to see him. All those years on. We honestly believe that if he'd carried on he would have ended up as the Operations Director for London - he was that respected by everybody. A big loss, a massive loss."