ARMSTRONG, David
| Service Number: | 2675 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 15 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 12th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Port Cygnet, Tas., 1891 |
| Home Town: | Cygnet, Huon Valley, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in action, France, 4 September 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Cradoc Pictorial Honour Roll, Port Cygnet Soldiers Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 15 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2675, 12th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Sep 1915: | Involvement Private, 2675, 12th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: SS Makarini embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 10 Sep 1915: | Embarked Private, 2675, 12th Infantry Battalion, SS Makarini, Melbourne |
David's Story
David was my great-uncle. He was born 1890/91 in Burnside, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland. He emigrated to Australia with his brother Robert in 1911. They both worked as station hands in Merribee Station, Barellan, New South Wales.
David and Robert enlisted at Cootamundra in 1916 and joined the 20th Reinforcement unit of 3rd Infantry Battalion, Australian Imperial Force.
He left Sydney on 9 Sept 1916 on HMAT Euripides and arriving Plymouth, England on 26 Oct 1916. He sailed from Folkestone on SS Invicta on 28 Feb 1917 arriving in France on 1 March 1917.
He was killed in action by a high explosive shell on 20 Sept 1917, the first day of the Battle of Menin Road Ridge, the third British general attack of the Battle of Passchendaele. His brother Robert Armstrong (6433) survived the war.
David is buried at Railway Dugouts Burial Ground (Transport Farm) near Ypres. I have a copy of the letter from his commanding officer to his mother notifying her of his death in action.
Trevor Molloy
Submitted 31 October 2019 by Trevor Molloy
Biography contributed by Faithe Jones
Son of John and Eliza Armstrong, of Port Cygnett, Tasmania.
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