Cpl 35601 John Thomas Armstrong (MM and Bar)

• Age: 34
• From: Newcastle-on-Tyne
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 20th Btn
• K.I.A Tuesday 31st July 1917
• Commemorated at: Menin Gate Memorial
  Panel Ref: Panel 4 & 6

John Thomas Armstrong was born in the March quarter of 1883 in Newcastle and was the son of Robert and Emma (nee Howe) Armstrong who were married in 1882. He later resided in Liverpool.

On the 1891 Census the family were living at 5 Judson Place, Elswick, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. His father, Robert, is aged 29, a machine worker born Longtown, Cumberland, his mother, Emma, is aged 30 and was born in Carlisle. They have two children in the household, both born in Newcastle; John T. aged 8 a scholar, Victoria E. aged 6.

On the 1901 Census the family were living at 39 Westmoreland St, Wallsend. John's father, Robert, is aged 39, a metal planer, his mother Emma is aged 40. They have five children;, John T. 18 is a barman, Victoria E. 16 is a domestic servant, Robert 6 a scholar, Emma 4 and Edward 11 months b.Wallsend.

Thomas married Amy Skilling in 1905 in Tynemouth Northumberland. Their first child, Arthur, was born in Newcastle in the summer of 1905 but died in infancy. They had Aimee in 1907, and Stanley born on 10th May 1910 in Greenside, Durham.

The 1911 census records the couple living at 72 Charlotte Street, Wallsend on Tyne. John, aged 28, is working as an iron and steel turner in a steam turbine works. They have two children – Aimee aged 4 and Stanley aged 10 months.

The Parsons Steam Turbine Company in Wallsend was started by Charles Parsons who developed the steam turbine.  The company produced many of the engines for the naval and merchant fleets, including the battleship Dreadnought (launched in 1906) and for all the leading shipbuilding companies in the U.K.

Sadly little Aimee died in the summer of 1911. 

It is not known why Thomas and Amy left the northeast, but by 1915 they have moved to Liverpool, where another daughter, Renee, was born on 12th May 1915 in Toxteth Park. At her baptism in St. Peter’s Church, Liverpool, her parents’ address was given as Park Road, and John’s occupation as labourer.

Prior to the outbreak of war, he had been employed by the Sicilian Marble Company, Vauxhall Road, Liverpool.

He enlisted in Formby, the amount of the War Gratuity suggests that he enlisted in early 1916.

John was awarded the Military Medal, which he had won in December 1916 (Gazetted as a Private 19th Feb 1917), and was awarded a bar to his medal in February 1917 (Published in the London Gazette 18th June 1917 as a L/Cpl).

The award of the Bar to his Military Medal was reported in the Liverpool Echo 19th June 1917:

Lance-corporal J. T. Armstrong, Liverpool Regiment, has been awarded bar to the Military Medal

Thomas was serving in the 20th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Corporal No 35601 when he was killed in action on the 31st July 1917, aged 34, on the opening day of the Battle of Passchendaele, near Ypres, Belgium.

On that day, the 89th Brigade was to follow up the attacks of the 21st and 90th Brigades and once their objectives had been taken, to go through them and secure a line of strong points on the German third line. The 89th Brigade line of attack was from the South West corner of Polygon Wood, to the Menin Road. The 17th Battalion The King’s Liverpool Regiment was on the left of the attack, and the 20th to the right, with the 19th Battalion and the 2nd Battalion The Bedfordshire Regiment, in Divisional Reserve.

The Battalion moved into assembly positions east of Maple Copse between 05.00 and 05.20am, they were heavily shelled and suffered many casualties. At 07.50 they began to advance with the 17^th Battalion on the left,  and the 20^th on the right, the whole time under heavy shell fire. On reaching their position which was the Blue Line , troops of both the 21^st and 90^th Brigades were still pinned down  and thus any attempt at further progress were futile.

At this point a message was sent to Brigade HQ advising that Companies were digging in on and consolidating a line running south from Stirling Castle.

The 20^th Battalion was relieved on the night of 03^rd – 04^th August. During this time the Battalion lost one officer 2^nd Lieut G. G. Nickel and 42 men killed or died of wounds with six officers and 149 men wounded. 

His death was reported in the Liverpool Echo on 20th August 1917: 

“Cpl. T. Armstrong, King’s Liverpool Regt., has been killed in action.  He was awarded the Military Medal in December last, and a bar to his medal in February.  Before joining the army he was employed by the Sicilian Marble Company, Vauxhall Road.  He was 34 years of age and leaves two children.”

The newspaper notice suggests that he was known as Thomas or Tom.

His body was not recovered from the battlefield or was subsequently lost as he is commemorated on the Menin Gate, Belgium.

The site of the Menin Gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields. It commemorates casualties from the forces of Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and United Kingdom who died in the Salient. In the case of United Kingdom casualties, only those prior 16 August 1917 (with some exceptions). United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after that date are named on the memorial at Tyne Cot, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war. New Zealand casualties that died prior to 16 August 1917 are commemorated on memorials at Buttes New British Cemetery and Messines Ridge British Cemetery.

The YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL now bears the names of more than 54,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield with sculpture by Sir William Reid-Dick, was unveiled by Lord Plumer on 24 July 1927.

He was reported killed in the Weekly Casualty List of 18th September 1917:

King's Liverpool Regiment - Armstrong 35601 Act. Cpl. J.T. (Liverpool);

His Army effects and a War Gratuity of £6 went to his widow Amy, living at 193a Park Road, Dingle, Liverpool, who also received a pension of £1-4s-2d a week for herself and two children from February 1918.

His widow, Amy, sailed from Liverpool to Canada with her two children in August 1922. Her immigration record states she was heading for Young Street, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada to marry a Mr A.Williams. Amy is found in subsequent voter lists with her husband Alfred, living in Atkinson Street, Regina City.

His son Stanley died in 1931, aged 21.

His widow Amy died in 1976; his daughter Renee married and died in 1996.  They are buried together in Regina Cemetery.

John Thomas Armstrong is commemorated in Liverpool’s Hall of Remembrance, Panel 16 Right.

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