Pte. Frances E. Armstrong, 51st Battalion, June 03, 1917

Francis Edward Armstrong 437762

Peterborough Evening Examiner, June 20, 1917. p.5

Armstrong's Attestation File available at
Archives Canada link

Frank Armstrong was born on July 19, 1882 in Dummer Township, Ontario, Canada.  His father, Edward and mother, Mary-Jane Forbes were Irish immigrants who had come to Canada to farm. 

Sometime during his youth, Frank travelled west, probably in search of farm work.  He joined the 51^st Battalion in Edmonton, Alberta on Sept 17, 1915.  At the time, he was a 33 year-old, single, farmer with no previous military experience.   He stood 5’7” tall, weighed 156 lbs, had a dark complexion, blue eyes and dark hair.  He listed his religion as Presbyterian.

He sailed to England with his battalion on April 28 1916 aboard the S.S. Missanabie. Like many other battalions, the 51^st was broken up at Bramshott Camp in England and Armstrong was reassigned to the 46^th (Saskatchewan) Battalion.  He joined this unit, known as the “Suicide Battalion” because of its extremely high causality rate, at the front on August 10^th, 1916.   He was admitted to hospital on December 23, 1916 due to a “slight” gunshot wound to the head.  The wound must not have been too serious, as he was released from care to convalesce 3 weeks later, and fully rejoined the 46^th Battalion in the field on January 22nd, 1917.  The 46^th Battalion, along with the bulk of the Canadians, would have spent the rest of the winter months training and preparing for the upcoming assault on Vimy Ridge to take place in early April.  

Curiously, on the 2^nd of April, right before the grand assault on the ridge was launched, Armstrong was attached to the Canadian Engineers and remained with them through the duration of the Vimy Ridge attack.  It is not known what role he played during this time.  He rejoined the 46^th Battalion on May 2^nd and would have spent the next month holding the hard-fought positions they had previously captured from the Germans on the ridge.  Pte. Armstrong was listed as killed in action on June 03, 1917.  A Casualty report claims that he was shot through the head by a bullet from the rifle of an enemy sniper, and died almost instantly. 

He was buried in the Villiers Station Military Cemetery, about 4 miles Southwest of Aix-Noulette, France.  His name appears on the Dummer Township Cenotaph.

Sources:

Archives of Ontario. Registrations of Births and Stillbirths – 1869-1913. MS 929, reels 1-245. Toronto,

Ontario, Canada: Archives of Ontario.

Canada. "Soldiers of the First World War (1914-1918)." Record Group 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box

4930 - 35. Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa.

Library and Archives Canada. Census of Canada, 1891. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Library and Archives Canada,

2009. <http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/census-1891/index-e.html>. Series RG31-C-1. Statistics Canada Fonds. Microfilm reels: T-6290 to T-6427.

War Graves Registry: Circumstances of Death Records. Record Group 150, 1992–1993/314, Boxes 145–238. Library and Archives Canada. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.