ARMSTRONG, Frank
| Other Name: | Armstrong, Francis Hugh - Australian War Memorial - Roll of Honour Circular |
|---|---|
| Service Number: | 5278 |
| Enlisted: | 10 April 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Sapper |
| Last Unit: | Tunnelling Companies |
| Born: | Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia, 1889 |
| Home Town: | Charters Towers, Charters Towers, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Charters Towers Community Primary |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 1 October 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 10 Apr 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Sapper, 5278, 1st Tunnelling Company (inc. 4th Tunnelling Company) | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Sep 1916: | Involvement Sapper, 5278, Mining Corps, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '6' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Suffolk embarkation_ship_number: A23 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Sep 1916: | Embarked Sapper, 5278, Mining Corps, HMAT Suffolk, Melbourne | |
| 30 Sep 1916: | Involvement Sapper, 5278, Tunnelling Companies, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '6' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Suffolk embarkation_ship_number: A23 public_note: '' | |
| 30 Sep 1916: | Embarked Sapper, 5278, Tunnelling Companies, HMAT Suffolk, Melbourne |
Francis Hugh Armstrong Synopsis
Francis Hugh Armstrong - Synopsis
The Early Years:
Born in the year 1889.
Frank was born of migrants, Thomas Armstrong from Wigan, Lancashire and Eliza Jane McGibney of Kells Meath, Ireland. His parents met in Charters Towers around 1800. Frank was the third born son with six brothers and two sisters.
Growing up – the mundane
Frank’s early years would have been a combination of chores, adventure and fun with his siblings and neighbours. His home was frugal, with a family cow for milk and dairy products, home grown vegetables, chickens, ducks. These basics would have been supplemented with wild game and fresh caught fish. Occasionally a goat, lamb or calf would join the household.
Frank, like his siblings would have shared household chores, these would have been age appropriate. Weeding the garden, tending the livestock, chopping wood, would have been daily tasks. As he grew older, fishing and hunting trips would have been a regular occurrence.
School and Work
Frank attended Charters Towers Community Primary School, but like most of his peers, did not proceed to higher education.
Work would be a necessity as soon as he was old enough, probably, early to mid-teens. His options like his brothers would have been Ringer on western properties, cane cutting in the Burdekin and Herbert River area, working the tobacco fields of the Atherton Tablelands, local work on the railways, was also an option. But Frank chose to follow his father to the mines.
Many of his work options were hard grueling, back breaking toil, with little advancement opportunities.
Interest and sports
However daily life was not all work and no play.
Frank like his siblings grew up with a love of the bush, he would have well-developed bush survival skills, learnt from personal experience playing and exploring the bush around Charters Towers from an early age.
Hunting trips to supplement the family meals, was, although a necessity, also a great source of pleasure and comradery for him and his siblings. Any excuse would be taken to escape to a bush camp at Big Bend or Echo Hole. The Flether River was also a favourite haunt of all the siblings.
Pets:
Horse and dogs, where the preferred family pets, well trained dogs, where a must, for hunting and A good horse was a necessity for transport and labour sharing, but raising a good racing horse, was a long-held family dream.
Family Man
Frank had a deep bond, with all his siblings, His brothers were mates. They shared their work and pleasure time. A great camaraderie, always a joke to be shared with them.
But unlike his brothers, he was something of a ladies’ man, old or young he was known to flirt with all the girls. But the softest spot was held for his Mum (Titna), sisters Isobella (Sissy) and Hilda (Doll).
Leaving Home:
Frank’s chance to leave the mundane, a chance to explore outside of the confines of western Queensland, if not the world, came in 1916, when the call went out for recruits to join the war effort. One from every family was the societal expectation.
Frank would have been a good candidate with his bush craftmanship and hunting skills, but his work in the mines, was it seemed his biggest asset.
(Refer Sapper Frank Armstrong 5278 1st Tunnelling Company for his Service story)
Submitted 18 January 2026 by Rhonda Elizabeth ARMSTRONG
Biography contributed by Rhonda Elizabeth ARMSTRONG
Frank was born in 1889, of immigrant parents, Thomas Armstrong from Wigan. Lancashire and Eliza Jane McGibney of Kells Meath, Ireland. His parents met in Charters Towers aroung 1800. Frank was the third born son with six brothers and two sisters
His eary years would have been a combination of chores, adventures and fun with his sibblings and neighbours His home was frugal as many where in that era. With a family cow for milk and dairy products, home grown vegetables, chickens and ducks for eggs and meat. These basics would have been supplemented with wild game and fresh caught fish. Occasionally a goat, lamb or calf would join the household.
Frank like his sibblings would have shared age appropriate household chores, including weeding the garden, tending the livestock, chopping wood. As he grew older, fishing and hunting trips would have been regular occurances.
School was the Charters Towers Community Primary School, but like many peers he did not proceed to higher education. Work would have been a necessity as soon as he was old enough. Work options like his brothers included Ringer on western cattle stations, cutting cane in the Herbert or Burdekin River farms, or tobacco farms in the north. Railway work, was a desired option, but Frank chose to follow his father to the mines. All of these options were hard grueling, back breaking toil, with limited advancement opportunities.
However life was not all work and no play. Frank, like his sibblings grew up with a love of the bush. Developing bush survival skills learnt from experience, playing, exploring the bush around Charters Towers from an early age. Hunting trips to supplement meals, although a necessity, was a great source of pleasure and comradery for him and his siblings
Pets included horses and dogs. Both for practical and pleasure. A well trained dog was a must for hunting and a good horse a necessity for transportation and labour sharing. But raising a good race horse, was a long held family dream.
Family man, Frank had a deep bond with all his siblings, His brothers were mates. They shared work and pleasure time. Great comraderie, always a joke to be shared. Unlike his brothers, he was something of a ladies man, old or young, he was known to flirt with all of them. But the softest spot was held for his Mum and sisters Isobella (Sissi) and Hilda (Doll).
Franks chane to leave the mundane, a chance to explore beyond the confines of western Queensland, if not the world, came in 1916. When the call went out for recruits to join the war effort. One from every family was the social expectation. Frank would have been a good candidate, with his bush and hunting skills, but his work in the mines, was it seems his greatest asset.
Refer Sapper Frank Armstrong #5278 1st Tunnellers Company for his service story.
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