ARMSTRONG, John Alexander
| Service Number: | 1094 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 8 May 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 5th Machine Gun Company |
| Born: | Auckland, New Zealand, February 1891 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Driving Creek Public School, New Zealand |
| Occupation: | Timber worker |
| Died: | Killed in action, Belgium, 9 October 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 8 May 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1094, 18th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Jun 1915: | Involvement Private, 1094, 18th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 25 Jun 1915: | Embarked Private, 1094, 18th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ceramic, Sydney | |
| 9 Oct 1917: | Involvement Sergeant, 1094, 5th Machine Gun Company, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1094 awm_unit: 5th Australian Machine Gun Company awm_rank: Sergeant awm_died_date: 1917-10-09 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
John Alexander Armstrong was the son of Walter and Margaret Armstrong, who were both long deceased, and he had been born in Auckland, New Zealand. He had come to Sydney Australia in about 1911.
John joined up with the 18th Battalion and they landed on Gallipoli on 16 August 1915. This was only a week after John’s younger brother, 13/965A Trooper Walter Patrick Armstrong Auckland Mounted Rifles NZEF, had been killed in action on 8 August 1915, aged 21.
John was reported missing, after the 18th Battalion made a charge on 27 August 1915, he was subsequently reported as alive. During October 1915 he was transferred to hospital ship with jaundice and taken to Malta.
He transferred to 5th Machine Gun Company, in March 1916. He was promoted to Corporal, 12 July 1917; Sergeant, 20 September 1917, before he was killed in action, Belgium, 9 October 1917. According to his Red Cross file he was killed by a piece of shell shrapnel near to Passchendaele and his remains could not be found afterwards.
An aunt in New Zealand received his medals and entitlements.