Pte
John William Armstrong
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1879 |
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Place of birth: Rochdale, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom |
Army information
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Country: Verenigd Koninkrijk |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 241819 |
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Units: — Lancashire Fusiliers, 1st/6th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 06/09/1917 |
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Place of death: Pommern Castle & Redoubt, Zonnebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 38 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: VII Row: H Grave: 5 |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
John William Armstrong was born about 1879 in Rochdale, Lancashire, England. He was the son of John Armstrong and Esther Armstrong. John served in the 1/6th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers Regiment (125th Brigade, 42nd (East Lancashire) Division).
On Thursday 6 September 1917, the 42nd Division attacked with the 125th Brigade: the 1/5th and 1/6th Battalions attacked while the 1/7th and 1/8th Battalions provided support. The Brigade attacked the German positions between Iberian Farm, Beck House and Borry Farms. The 1/6th Battalion attacked Beck House and Iberian Farm with the B, C and D Companies; the A Company served in support. The attack began at 7.30 am. The companies of the 1/6th Battalion managed to take Beck House, but the 2 companies attacking Iberian Farm came under heavy machine-gun fire from the southern slopes of Hill 35. The 125th Brigade's attack failed due to a German counterattack with bombs at 10.45 am with heavy machine gun fire. The Germans retook Beck House and killed or captured all battalions of the Brigade, including B and half the A Company of the 1/6th Battalion, except for 2 battalions of the Lancashire Fusiliers. Among those remaining from the 1/6th Battalion, there were very heavy losses. This exposed the remaining companies to fire from Hill 35 and forced them to retreat to their original starting positions. The flank of the 1/5th Battalion was exposed and, following a German counterattack at 7.30pm, they were forced to fall back. However, the right flank managed to hold out 150 yards ahead of their original position and consolidated.
On this Thursday, John William Armstrong was one of many soldiers who died. He died at the age of 38 near Pommern Castle & Redoubt in Zonnebeke. John is buried in Tyne Cot Cemetery (Plot VII, Row H, Grave 5).
On Thursday 6 September 1917, the 42nd Division attacked with the 125th Brigade: the 1/5th and 1/6th Battalions attacked while the 1/7th and 1/8th Battalions provided support. The Brigade attacked the German positions between Iberian Farm, Beck House and Borry Farms. The 1/6th Battalion attacked Beck House and Iberian Farm with the B, C and D Companies; the A Company served in support. The attack began at 7.30 am. The companies of the 1/6th Battalion managed to take Beck House, but the 2 companies attacking Iberian Farm came under heavy machine-gun fire from the southern slopes of Hill 35. The 125th Brigade's attack failed due to a German counterattack with bombs at 10.45 am with heavy machine gun fire. The Germans retook Beck House and killed or captured all battalions of the Brigade, including B and half the A Company of the 1/6th Battalion, except for 2 battalions of the Lancashire Fusiliers. Among those remaining from the 1/6th Battalion, there were very heavy losses. This exposed the remaining companies to fire from Hill 35 and forced them to retreat to their original starting positions. The flank of the 1/5th Battalion was exposed and, following a German counterattack at 7.30pm, they were forced to fall back. However, the right flank managed to hold out 150 yards ahead of their original position and consolidated.
On this Thursday, John William Armstrong was one of many soldiers who died. He died at the age of 38 near Pommern Castle & Redoubt in Zonnebeke. John is buried in Tyne Cot Cemetery (Plot VII, Row H, Grave 5).
Sources 3
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1/6 Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers Regiment war diary (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/2654/3). http://nationalarchives.gov.uk Sources used |
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McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: The Day by Day Account (Londen: Arms & Armour Press, 1995), p. 72. Sources used |
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Soldier's Effects records (National Army Museum, Chelsea (NAM) 1901-60; NAM Accesion Number: 1991-02-333). https://www.nam.ac.uk/ Sources used |
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/461760 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=d94ac5c4-5662-4e3a-9213-fdd3d6c8eaf7 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/66105 |