Captain Norman Walter Faddy, MC and Bar

When World War 1 broke out in 1914, Captain Faddy was in the Fiji Government service. He enlisted in the ranks of the Fiji Defence Force and embarked for war service with the Second Fiji Contingent, which arrived in England in August 1915. On arrival in England the Contingent became part of the Kings Royal Rifles, a famous regiment of the British Army. After a period of military training at Holm Farm in Sheepness, UK, the Regiment left for the battlefields of France on 30 December 1915.

Captain Faddy won the Military Cross by heading a bombing party that made a brilliant and successful attack upon the enemy. The ribbon on his uniform indicates the decoration. The white spot in the centre of the ribbon denotes the addition of a Bar to his decoration (meaning that he was awarded a second Military Cross for gallantry in action).

Captain Faddy won his second MC during the German Spring offensive of March 1918. Captain Faddy and his regiment were deployed in the Arras, Lys and Aisne sector of the Allied frontlines. The Germans hoped that their Spring Offensive would enable them to end the war before the US Army became firmly established in France.

At first the German Army had considerable success and came close to making a decisive breakthrough. However, Allied forces managed to halt the German advance at the Marne in June 1918. Captain Faddy was one of a small body of men that had to hold the line against the German advance, whilst the rest of his regiment fell back to new positions.

Captain (then Lieutenant) Faddy and his men succeeded in holding their ground against concerted German attacks. Many of the officers of Lieutenant Faddy’s regiment died in the defence of their positions and he came to lead the entire bombing party that continued to resist the German advance. He was then promoted to the rank of Captain whilst in the field. After suffering 168,000 casualties during the battle, the exhausted German Army was forced to retreat

At the end of the War, Captain Faddy returned to Fiji and with his brother Herbert established a dairy farm at Vunibaka on the banks of the Wainivesi River in the Sawakasa district of Tailevu North, Fiji. Captain Faddy died in April 1934 aged 46 years. He was buried in the Old Suva Cemetery.

(Below: The British (Imperial) Military Cross.) The Military Cross is awarded to commissioned officers of the substantive rank of Captain or below or Warrant Officers for distinguished and meritorious services in battle. The MC was established in December 1915. In 1920, the terms were altered to clearly state the award was for gallant and distinguished services in action and that naval and air force officers could be awarded the cross for gallant and distinguished services on the ground.

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Captain Norman Faddy's war medals
Military Cross (bar)	1914 -1915 Star	War Medal 1914 –1918	Victory Medal