Nora Minnie Martin was born in 1898 in Brighton Sussex to Charles Herbert and Minnie Martin.
Charles was a commercial traveller in drapery. He was accepted into the royal York lodge Freemasons Brighton in 1903.
Nora had 2 siblings-
Roy Herbert born 1897 Brighton Sussex
Charles Langford born 1899 Brighton Sussex
In 1901 Nora is living with her Grandparents at 21 Beckwith Road Dulwich Camberwell, while the rest of the family are living at 8 Wolstonbury Road Hove.
By 1911 Nora is living with the rest of her family and they are now showing to be living at no. 10 Wolstonbury Road Hove.
In WW1 just after the outbreak of war, the British Red Cross and the Order of St. John proposed to form the Joint War committee with the intention of working with joint aims, reducing duplication of effort and providing St. John personnel with the protection of the Red Cross. They pooled fundraising activities and provided volunteers and machinery
Under the joint war committee Nora worked as a clerk at Allen West and Co. Lewes Road, Brighton, which was an electrical engineering firm founded in 1910 by Allen West. They made armaments and other military items for the war effort, Allen West himself joined up in WW1, his company made the firing heads for the Stokes mortar. He smuggled it and 100 rounds to France in his luggage and as a result of the trials there it was adopted for service use in the trenches.
In 1917 Nora was living at Stanmore St. Michaels Road Worthing with her Parents. She volunteered to become a linen and pack Store Keeper on 16th April 1917 for St. John's Hospital Hastings.
St. John's Hospital Hastings ran under the banner of the Red Cross. The hospital looked after less seriously wounded service men and were mainly staffed by volunteers. By 1921 Nora was visiting William Painter and his wife Ellen at 21 Sidney Road Beckenham, Bromley, Kent. She is working as a Private Secretary to Mr E A Smethurst.
Nora died on the 27th August 1923 at 21 Sidney Road Beckenham Kent, of Influenza and Meningitis, her uncle was in attendance.