ARMSTEAD, Reginald
| Service Number: | 3769 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 1 November 1915, Perth, Western Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | West Melbourne, Victoria, 1889 |
| Home Town: | Perth, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Apprentice Printer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Mouquet Farm, France, 16 August 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 1 Nov 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3769, Perth, Western Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Feb 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3769, 28th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Miltiades embarkation_ship_number: A28 public_note: '' | |
| 12 Feb 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3769, 28th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Miltiades, Fremantle | |
| 16 Aug 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3769, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1), Mouquet Farm, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3769 awm_unit: 51 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-08-16 |
A short Life
Private Reginald Armstead was my Grand Uncle. He was born in 1889 in West Melbourne and was an Apprentice Printer. He had two brothers who also enlisted but were rejected due to height and chest measurements not being within the standard required.
Lucky for me as one of those brothers was my Grandfather.
Reginald enlisted on 25th October, 1915 and embarked from Fremantle, Western Australia aboard the Miltiades on the 12th February, 1916, as part of the 28th Infantry Battalion (9th reinforcements).
He was transferred to the 51st Battalion and sent to the Western Front in France. It was in the trenches at Mouquet Farm where he was killed. There is at present no known grave, only a memorial at Villers-Bretonneux and at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
Submitted 12 March 2015 by Jan Ferguson
Biography contributed by Jan Ferguson
The eldest of 6 children, Reg had become an apprentice printer at Fremantle Printery when the war broke out. We can say he was well loved by his family and friends. Tributes describe him as a true comrade and hero and his memory will always be with us. He wanted Australia to be a safe place for future generations.
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