Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Before the War

Wesley Whitbourn Armstrong was 29 years old, and was born in Victoria, Australia, despite growing up in Glenelg, South Australia. He was married to Mabel Alberta Whitbourne, and had no children. His father was George Whitbourn, of which his will was left to when he went to fight in the war, before later being changed to be left to his wife Mabel. Wesley was a part of the Church of England. He was an average height soldier, with blue eyes and brown hair, and a height of 5 ft 9. He was a full-time soldier, meaning that he fought in wars and trained as a regular soldier. Wesley had completed 3 years of service at a rifle club, and 4 ½ years of training with the military before the war. The exact where about of this, and with units, was not specified in his records.
 
 During the war
Wesley Whitbourn Armstrong enlisted on 19/8/14 and was the first member of the 10th Battalon in the AIF (Australian Imperial Force) to sign up in WW1, hence his regimental number 1. He was assigned to the 10th Battalion, and immediately begun his training with this unit in Adelaide at the Morphettville Race Course. This training continued from August during 1914, before his battalion was assigned to the 3rd infantry brigade.
 
This Brigade was then transported to the Middle East (Alexandria, Egypt) on the 20th October via the A11 Ascanius. They then stopped over in Colombo, Sri Lanka, before departing on the 1st December. Training was completed at Mena Camp for several months in Port Said, Egypt. The brigade then travelled to the Island of Lemnos, located in the Aegean Sea, via the ‘Ionian’, to strengthen and complete final trainings.
 
After completing these many months of physical labour and training, Wesley embarked/boarded the HMS Prince of Wales, and headed to Gallipoli. The Anzacs attacked Gallipoli on the 25th April 1915 at dawn, with ships of the 10th battalion being one of the first ships to arrive and attack at the landings. At Gallipoli, Wesley W.A was promoted to many high ranking positions, such as Lieutenant, adjutant, 2nd Lieutenant and Vice Captain, within a reasonably short period of time. This could be explained due to the fact that he had lots of professional experience in training before the war and was therefore given more responsibility. It also demonstrates that he was a fantastic leader, who had good communication skills and was very efficient at organising large numbers of men.
 
He fell sick in October 1915, and his temporary rank of captaincy was cancelled due to being invalid. He was admitted into Hillbay Hospital in Davenport on 28/11/15, suffering from a very bad case of Dysentery, caused by bad living conditions. Wesley travelled to many different places to be treated, moving from hospital ships, camps and Military hospitals.

 After a month of recovering, Wesley joined the MEF on the 16th February 1916 in Weymouth, joining his battalion at Serapeum. He was briefly attached with the BEF (British Expeditionary force), before returning to his battalion and travelling to France, at Poziers. It was at this battle that the 10th battalion experienced its worst artillery bombardments. Wesley was wounded badly on the 25th, suffering from shell shock, indicating that he was fighting on the front line, leading his group of men.
 
Wesley was evacuated and placed in the 4th London General Hospital, before later being discharged in October. Wesley marched out to Weymouth, and then Grantham with the 3rd division for training on the 19th. He was placed on a Supernumerary list, meaning that he had received more positions, rankings and promotions than normal.
 
Wesley got tonsillitis on 13/5/1917 and was transferred to Tidworth Hospital the next day. He rested briefly before being discharged on the 19th. He was removed to train with the 3rd Brigade, which then travelled to France, Southampton. This constant movement indicates he had some roll in training troops.

Wesley W.A was marched in to exit England from Le Havre, a port in France, used to export members of the MEF. In January, he attached to the 1st Australian Division Base Depots, located at Roulles, France.
 
On 21/7/17 Wesley went to hospital sick and was admitted NYD (Not yet determined/diagnosed) with a severe medical condition. After 49 days, he was transferred from the 3rd Tng battalion on 7/9/17 to serve at the base. In September, he re-joined with his unit, the 3rd training brigade, and went back to work. He moved overseas to Longbridge Derevill and Sutton Veny (both villages in England). After approximately 1 month of further training, he was listed to be returned to Australia, and discharged from the war.

After the war 
After the war, Wesley was awarded multiple medals for his service during WW1. He was the recipient of the 1914/15 Star Medal for early enlistment, as well as the British War medal and Victory medal, given to many ANZACS who fought in the British Imperial Force during WW1. Shortly after being discharged, he re-enlisted on the 2nd of October 1919, where he completed further training with the army. He served for several months before taking a period of leave, and was then discharged again in July 1920. A few years later, Wesley enlisted in WW II.
 

Reflecting the Anzac Spirit
All of his previous service before, during and after WWI demonstrates that Wesley was an extremely dedicated, hardworking soldier who was very committed and proud to fight for his country and serve his time protecting Australia and the British Empire. Although he suffered from many wounds and illnesses, his recovery period was always very short, which demonstrates that he was willing to get straight back out into the field and serve. This shows bravery and commitment, and shows he is a very honourable man. Wesley was a fantastic leader and showed this by stepping up and taking action in high ranking positions during difficult times. He was also the first soldier to ever enlist in his battalion, showing that he is extremely brave and courageous. All of these amazing qualities reflects how Wesley was a true Anzac.

Bibliography:
 
The AIF Project, Search for Name 2016, UNSW Australia, Canberra, accessed 10 March 2019, <https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/search>.
 
The AIF Project, Search for Name 2016, UNSW Australia, Canberra, accessed 10 March 2019,
<https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=320505>.
 
 
Search for a person, Australian War Memorial n.d., AWM, Australia, accessed 1 March 2019,  <https://www.awm.gov.au/people/roll-search>.
 
The common Wealth Graves commission site could not be used, as Wesley Armstrong was not killed during ww1. He returned home safely.
 
Record search, Basic search 2019, Australian Government, National Archives of Australia, accessed 28 February 2019, <https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/BasicSearch.aspx>.
 
Record search, Basic search 2019, Australian Government, National Archives of Australia, accessed 28 February 2019,
<https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=5678413&isAv=N>.
 
Advanced search, Trove n.d., Trove, National Library of Australia, accessed 26 February 2019, <https://trove.nla.gov.au/?q&adv=y>.
 
Australian Imperial Force unit war diaries, 1914-18 War n.d., AWM, Australia, accessed 12 March 2019, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/AWM4/>.
 
Australian War Memorial, Collection, Search n.d., AWM, Australia, accessed 25 February 2019, <https://www.awm.gov.au/advanced-search>.
 
Advanced Keyword Search n.d., State Library, accessed 5 March 2019, <http://www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au/search/X>.
 
Training camps: France n.d., accessed 9 March 2019, <https://anzac-22nd-battalion.com/training-camps-france/>.
 
Shell Shock- inside out 2014, BBC, accessed 9 March 2019, <http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/extra/series-1/shell_shocked.shtml>.
 
The Battles of Fromelles and Pozières n.d., ABC, accessed 10 March 2019, <https://www.abc.net.au/ww1-anzac/fromelles-pozieres/campaign-overview/>.
 
British War medal 1914-20 n.d., Australian Government Department of Defence, Australia, accessed 11 March 2019, <http://www.defence.gov.au/Medals/Imperial/WWI/British-War-Medal-1914-20.asp>.