Julia "Julie" Marie Armstrong
Husband (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
Wife Julia "Julie" Marie ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
Father: Howard Glenn ARMSTRONG (1937-1998) Mother: Joyce Marie BELL
Children
Kenneth Moffatt Armstrong and Chelleita May Lobb
Husband Kenneth Moffatt ARMSTRONG
Born: 18 Apr 1927 - Stanley, Huron, Ont, Can Christened: - Stanley, Huron, Ont, Can Died: 14 Dec 1974 - Montreal, Quebec, Can Buried: 16 Dec 1974 - Les Jardins Laurentide Cemetery, Hwy. #112 Between St. Hubert & Chambly
Father: John Allen ARMSTRONG (1892-1959) Mother: Mary "Mabel" MOFFATT (1893-1958)
Marriage: 30 Aug 1952 - Port Arthur, Ont, Can
Noted events in his life were:
• Birth Location
At the home of his parents in Stanley Twp.
• Education
Grade 13, Clinton Collegate
• Occupation
Engineer, Labatts Canada
• Residences
Stanley, Twp; London; Fort William (Thunder Bay); Montreal; St Lambert, Quebec.
Wife Chelleita May LOBB
AKA: Lee Born: 28 Apr 1927 - Saskatoon, Sask, Can Christened: Died: 29 Jul 2007 - Montreal, Quebec, Can. Buried:
Children
1 M Guy Alastair ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:Spouse: Lisa Marie TOPOROWSKI (living)
2 F Leslie "Nicole" ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:Spouse: Charles Jacques HAMEL (living)
3 F Chelleita "Meegan" ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:Spouse: Kris NICHOLS (living)
General Notes (Husband)
Ken was born on April 18, 1927 in the farm home of his parents, on the Goshen Line in Stanley Township. He grew up there on the farm attending public school at S. S. #5 Stanley, a small one room school located up the road, there on the Goshen. He was the third child in the family and was given the opportunity to continue his high school education at Clinton Collegiate Institute in Clinton, some fifteen miles from the farm.
During his high school years he was required to board in town. I believe he boarded with Mrs. McKinley, the grandmother of a neighbor boy who was the same age as Ken. I recall a trip we made with my father, mother and my younger brother Howard to the fall fair at Teeswater one year. It had been planned, that as we had to travel though Clinton to get to Teeswater we would pick up Ken at Mrs. McKinley’s home. I do not recall the exact year, probably 1945 or 1946 soon after the war and tires were not readily available yet. With the condition of the tires on our car, dad would not make the trip without a spare tire, tied on the roof. You guessed it – the spare tire had to be used on the way back from Teeswater before we got to Clinton. The changing of the tire was just like fun for Ken as he had become very mechanically minded, and we were soon on our way again.
During those high school years Ken worked at Epps Bicycle & Motorcycle Shop after school and on weekends and became very interested in motor-mechanics and repairing anything on wheels. At one point he had his own motorcycle. I recall a time when he had me on for a ride, it was at the farm, right near the barn and the thrashing had just been done. There was slippery straw in the yard by the barn and as he drove around the corner the wheels of the motorcycle slid on the straw and down we went. It was at a slow speed and no harm done to either, driver, passenger or the motorcycle.
Upon completing high school in Clinton, Ken got a job with Pool & Company in London. It was a company the milled and processed flour and other food related items. His work was in the laboratory, dealing with quality control and research. The company was soon bought by Five Roses Flour and he was moved to Fort William – Port Arthur (now known as Thunder Bay) Ontario. It was there he met his wife Lee and they were married in August 1952.
Continuing in the field of foods and research he was moved to Montreal by Five Roses Flour in about 1958 to continue his work for the company in their Montreal operations. Lee and Ken first lived right in Montreal but soon moved to the south shore – to St. Lambert. Their three children were born in the Montreal area, Guy first at Cote St.-Luc, born about one week before their move to St. Lambert. Then Nicole in 1961 and Meegan in 1962 were born in St. Lambert.
As a younger person, I thought of Ken as a very modern man, always talking and thinking about the future, taking a keen interest in all things of science and mechanical. I recall going to the London airport with my parents to meet him and bring him home to the farm for a few days as he passed through on a business trip. To me he was so important to be flying here and there and he seemed to take it all in stride.
Ken was always doing everything he could to show you around and make you feel comfortable and at home when you went to visit them. He would always find time to get in the car and drive you around showing off all the points of interest in the area. Then out would come the barbeque to cook the steaks all seasoned with some of his new creations, he did want to try out new products in real life.
His job required him to traveling a lot and in so doing, was often passing through Toronto were his sister-in-law Dorothy lived. Upon dropping in to visit Dorothy on these and many other occasions, Dorothy said many time that “Ken was always Ken” she found him the same every time, just himself.
It was so unfortunate that at the pinnacle of his career and life with his young family he was taken from us at the age of 47 on December 14, 1974.
By Ron Armstrong
Married at St. Pauls United Church, Port Arthur
Keri Amanda Armstrong
Husband (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
Wife Keri Amanda ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
Father: Guy Alastair ARMSTRONG Mother: Lisa Marie TOPOROWSKI
Children
Richard Westly Laitinen and Kerry Ann Armstrong
Husband Richard Westly LAITINEN (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:Marriage:
Wife Kerry Ann ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
Father: Gregory "Greg" William ARMSTRONG Mother: Mary Jeanette MINTA
Children
1 F Elizabeth Mary LAITINEN (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
Kevin John Armstrong and Kimberly Ann Hayter
Husband Kevin John ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
Father: John "Jack" Allen ARMSTRONG Mother: Patricia Elizabeth MEDD
Marriage:
Wife Kimberly Ann HAYTER (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
Children
1 M John Allen ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
2 F Samantha Patricia Lynn ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
Kevin John Armstrong and Debbie Rita Jacobs
Husband Kevin John ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
Father: Ronald Milton ARMSTRONG Mother: Shirley Joyce SOUTH (1935-1996)
Marriage:
Other Spouse: Nicole Marie GIGLIOTTI
Wife Debbie Rita JACOBS (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
Children
Kevin John Armstrong and Nicole Marie Gigliotti
Husband Kevin John ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
Father: Ronald Milton ARMSTRONG Mother: Shirley Joyce SOUTH (1935-1996)
Marriage:
Other Spouse: Debbie Rita JACOBS
Wife Nicole Marie GIGLIOTTI (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
Children
Lawrence "Lorne" Wilson Armstrong and Ada Dietz
Husband Lawrence "Lorne" Wilson ARMSTRONG
Born: 25 Sep 1892 - Stanley, Twp. Huron, Ont. Christened: Died: 7 Dec 1963 - London, Middlesex, Ont., Can. Buried: Dec 1963 - Bayfield, Huron, Ont.
Father: George ARMSTRONG (1854-1935) Mother: Eva "Jane" Eleanor WESTON (1856-1901)
Marriage: 10 Aug 1927 - Hensall, Huron, Ont., Can.
Noted events in his life were:
• Burial Location
Bayfield Cemetery, Plot 202F
• Death Location
Westminster War Veterans Hospital in London.
• Marital Status
Married but did not have children.
• Residences
Stanley, Twp. Huron, Ont.
Wife Ada DIETZ
Born: 1901 - Hay, Huron, Ont., Can. Christened: Died: 15 Dec 1986 - Exeter, Huron, Ont., Can. Buried: 1986 - Bayfield, Huron, Ont.
Noted events in her life were:
• Burial Location
Bayfield Cemetery, Plot 202F
• Death Location
Exeter Villa Nursing Home in Exeter.
• Marital Status
Married but did not have children.
Children
General Notes (Husband)
"How Lorne Armstrong's Family Came To Canada"
(Lorne told this story to Carolyn Robinson - Dec. 2, 1963. He died on Dec. 7, 1963)
Around 1852 his grandfather Rainey Armstrong brought his wife and six children from Ireland across the Atlantic Ocean in a sail-boat, called the Clio.
It took six weeks to make the voyage. On the way over the grandfather and the oldest son were swept off the deck by a great wave but fortunately another wave swept them back on.
They settled on the farm owned by Lorne Armstrong and built a log cabin. The first winter the grand father and a blacksmith's wife from Bayfield walked across Lake Huron on solid ice to Michigan to seek work in the lumber camp there. In the spring when the ice broke, they asked an Indian if he'd row them back to Stanley but he refused so they stole his boat and rowed themselves across.
Mr Armstrong set about clearing his land and building the grand stone house but before he finished it his wife died and Lorne's dad (George Armstrong) took over the place.
As told by Lorne Armstrong
"Note about the farm - Lot 13 Con. 11 Stanley, Township."
An interesting note about the farm, settled by Rainey Armstrong in 1852. The farm went to Rainey's son George, then passed to George's son Lorne, and was bought by Floyd Armstrong (a great grandson of Rainey. It is now lived on by Floyd's son Gregory, his wife Patricia and family.
By: Ron Armstrong, June 28, 2002
By Gwen Patterson with help from Jack Eckel, 2006.
Lawrence Wilson Armstrong was born on September 25, 1892 in West Wawanosh Twp. He was the youngest child of George and Jane (Weston) Armstrong. He was almost three years old when the family moved to Stanley Twp. and into the stone house on the Armstrong homestead. Lorne attended S.S. # 5 Stanley, the little school on the corner of his Uncle Wilson's farm. He was only nine years old when his mother died in 1901. His older sisters were soon all married and Lorne grew up in a household of males only. This would define his character. He grew up a tall, handsome, lean and strong young man. He had a determined and serious character and would always see a task done to its completion, and done well! This character trait would serve him well in the future.
Eventually Lorne and his Dad were the only two left on the farm, as his brothers had now either married or moved to the West. By 1914, the war in Europe had broken out and news of the battles was being read in newspapers across the country. By 1916, conscription was about to come into law. Lorne was 23, and he heeded the call for young men to join the army. On May 09, 1916 Lorne joined the 161st Battalion from Huron and went off to fight in WW I. (See an account of Lorne's military experiences in a separate document and read about this decorated veteran). It would be December, 1919 before Lorne, recovering from wounds, would return to the farm. He and his father worked the farm together for a couple of years, but George was getting on in years, and around 1921, George moved to Goderich. Lorne, alone now, would continue the best he could.
In Hensall, on August 10, 1927, at the age of 35, Lorne married Ada Dietz. Ada was born in 1901 in Hay Twp, daughter of Samuel and Annie (Koehler) Dietz. She grew up on her parents' farm Lot 23, Con.12, Hay Twp. Before her marriage, Ada worked as the telephone operator in the Zurich exchange office. Following their marriage, the couple would reside on the Armstrong farm and work the land for the next 36 years. They would not have a family of their own.
Neighbours and relatives remember Lorne and Ada as being somewhat 'loners'. They did not often join in the gatherings of family and friends when impromptu parties would break out along the line and folks would bring out the fiddles and get one of the ladies to chord on the piano, and a good old fashioned dance would follow. Lorne was a stern man, a good farmer, and serious in his business dealings. In hindsight that can be understood, after the experiences he had to deal with in the war.
Lorne had a dog named Sandy. He and Sandy would often walk across the fields for a little visit with 'the boys' (cousins Willie, Robbie and John) on Wilson's home place. One of Lornie's prize possessions was a new big black Hudson car that he bought in Hensall from the Cook Bros. Car Dealership. He kept it polished and shiny, no small feat in the days of gravel roads. Another prize possession was his little Alice Chalmers tractor, probably purchased from Hyde Bros. in Hensall. Lorne liked to putter about on it, rarely getting it going much beyond an idle, unless he was in the fields. A young neighbour, Jack Eckel and his brother Charles were visiting Lornie one day when he was out 'idling' about the yard with the mower attached. Charles asked if he could drive the tractor and Lornie gave him permission to do so. Well, Charles decided to 'open her up' and get her warm! He went ripping around the yard with the smoke streaming out and Lornie yelling "With that kind of drivin', you'd wreck every damn tractor from here to London!" That was the end of Charles and the 'Alice'.
Jack remembers saying one day to Lorne "When I get old enough I'm going to join the army." Lorne sternly answered "Don't you dare! You let others do that job!" Lorne didn't want anyone else to go through the horrors that he had experienced in WW I.
Lorne passed away on December 07, 1963 at Westminster War Veterans Hospital in London, ON. He was 71 years old. He is buried in Bayfield Cemetery.
Ada soon sold the farm to Floyd Armstrong, a cousin of Lorne's. She lived in Seaforth with her brother-in-law George and his wife Pearl for a short time, and then she bought a small home in Exeter. She died on December 15, 1986 in the Exeter Villa Nursing Home. She is buried in the Bayfield Cemetery with her husband.
"Military History for Lorne Wilson Armstrong, 1916-1919"
Researched and written by grandniece, Gwen (Storey) Patterson.
Lorne Armstrong had been following the newspaper stories about the war in Europe and about the Canadian participation on the Western Front since 1915. The dawning awareness that whole battalions had been wiped out in the Somme when the enemy introduced chlorine gas warfare, combined with the sinking of the torpedoed Lusitania off the coast of Ireland; killing 1200 people including women and children, alongside accounts of further losses in the fighting in the Ypres Salient, transformed the war from a great adventure to a great crusade. Soldiers from Canada were needed and a Battalion from Huron County was being mobilized. Lorne decided to be a part of it. And so, on May 9, 1916, Lorne, age 23, enlisted with the 161st Huron Battalion in London. His Regimental Number: 654780.
He would return home, and with his father, sign appropriate papers putting his affairs in order, and return to Basic Training Camp ‘Carling Heights’ on Dundas Street W., London, ON. He was assigned to ‘C’ Company and training began in earnest and continued over the following months in London, then in Camp Borden where they trained for trench warfare. His pay would be $15.00 a month.
Near the end of Oct. the 161st Battalion, comprised of 28 Officers, and 749 NCOs and Enlisted men boarded the train in Toronto and were transported to Halifax, N.S. On Oct 30th the unit boarded the S.S. Lapland, a large passenger ship which had been converted to a troop-ship outfitted with barrack style bunks. They sailed out on Nov. 1, for England. Lorne’s pay would now include an additional ten cents a day field allowance!
And so it was, sixty four years after Rainey and Rosey Armstrong, with their five sons and baby daughter, boarded a sailing vessel, and sailed west across the Atlantic, enduring six weeks of misery and the loss of their baby girl, to start a new life in Canada; that their grandson Lorne found himself on a troop ship steaming back eastward in an eleven day crossing of the Atlantic to join, with the soldiers from the nation that his grandparents left, in the fighting of one of the world’s worst conflicts!
In all probability, Lorne’s trip was not every comfortable. This troop ship was large and capable of carrying well over 2500 men. Most of the men would be sea sick. The food, if one could keep it down, was not great, and sleep, if possible, would be done in shifts on the cots. There would be little for the men to do except play cards. They shared the ship with a cargo of ammunition, guns, artillery, supplies and horses. They arrived in England on Nov.11, 1916, docking at Liverpool. From there they would make their way by a series of trains and marches to Dibgate Camp, Shorncliffe. On Nov 30th, about two hundred of them (Lorne included) were TOS (taken on strength) to the 58th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. The remainder would be sent to various units of the Canadian Corp.
The 58th had been in France since Feb.20, 1916. It was part of the 9th Brigade of the 3rd Canadian Division. It had participated in the horrific trench warfare of the Battle for Mount Sorrel and Sanctuary Wood in the Ypres Salient in the spring and summer of 1916. By September 1916, the 58th was in action on the Somme Front where it had suffered heavy losses. In less than a year, the 58th had suffered more casualties (576 men) than the number of men it had originally brought to France!
By mid November, the 58th, along with most of the Canadian Corp. withdrew from the Somme front and began preparations for the major assault planned for Vimy Ridge in April 1917. Thus, on December 4, 1916, Lorne, with the 161st Huron Battalion, arrived as reinforcements and were TOS into the 58th Battalion in France at Maison Blanche, a ruin from the fighting of 1915 on the road from Arras to Souchez.
It is highly probable that the very first offensive action that Lorne participated in was with the 58th relief of the 43rd on Dec 6th when the Battalion returned to the front line trenches part way up Vimy Ridge, almost due east of Neuville-St.Vaast. Its orders were to carry out a raid on Dec 10th, on a section of the enemy front line known as Balloon Trench.
It is not my intention here to give a complete description of all the battles, raids, offensives etc. that constitutes the participation of the 58th in the rest of the War. Much has been written and can be accessed for further reading. Please see my bibliography at the end of the article. Rather, I will list some of those very well known battles in which Lorne surely participated. I acknowledge that the mere listing of these battles cannot in any way begin to describe or express the horrors and trauma that Lorne and his fellow soldiers experienced: The death, the mud, the cold, the lice, the noise, the gas, the loss, the cries, the terror, the smell, and disease, and the MUD!
And so, some of the ‘big-name’ Theatres of War that Lorne endured: Vimy Ridge April 1917, defined as the ‘coming of age’ of the Canadian’s; Hill 70 and Lens, August 1917, known as the ‘mustard gas war’; Passchendaele, (The Third Battle of Ypres)Oct.1917, the horrific debacle in mud, called by Churchill as “a forlorn expenditure of valour and life without equal in futility” where, in 12 days, the Canadians Corp suffered 16,000 casualties for a contemptible gain of 4 1/2 miles. The 58th Battalion lost over 300 of their men for a capture of half a farm field! Lens, Dec 1917; Amiens, Aug 1918; and the 2nd Battle of Cambrai & Canal du Nord, Sept. and Oct. 1918. There were many lesser-known, but no less fierce battles throughout this period in which Lorne would have fought, and during this time he experienced two bouts of severe impetigo infections which sent him on Dec. 30, 1917 to the #9 Canadian Field Ambulance for a week, and on Jan. 2, 1918 to the #6 CFA for a two week recovery period.
Lorne’s courage, actions and experience were not going un-noticed. On Feb. 2, 1918, he was promoted to Lance Corporal and he received a monthly raise of pay to $34.50. On Feb. 17, 1918 his position was promoted to that of Corporal, with an increase to $36.00. His leadership abilities and experience, of course combined with casualties of officers about him, saw him promoted to the rank of L. Sergeant on Mar.25, 1918 with pay of $40.30 per month. Lorne’s leadership would come to fruition in August during the Battle of Amiens.
The Battle of Amiens, August 8-11, 1918, was a defining moment for Lorne. It was here, during the attack, Aug.8th on the village of Demuin, that Lorne earned his Distinguished Conduct Medal! (See notes at end of article). In that same battle, another soldier from the 161st, Harry Miner, earned the VC. The next day, on Aug 9th, Lorne was promoted to Sergeant, with a pay-raise to $45.00 per month! That’s $1.50 a DAY! NOT per hour, not per shift, but PER 24 HOURS! What makes men endure being shot at, bombed, gassed, standing in water-filled trenches for days, slogging through knee deep mud, marching, sleeping outside, cold, wet, and terror filled days and nights for $1.50 a day! On Remembrance Day, when we hear about sacrifice, let’s think about that!
Fifty-one days after earning the DCM (Lorne would also earn the Military Medal) Lorne’s participation in the war would come to a terrible end! On Sept. 29, 1918, during the Battle of Canal du Nord and Cambrai, Lorne was wounded in the back left shoulder from either a gunshot or shrapnel in the fighting near St. Olle. This battle which raged from Sept 27th to Oct 1st endured severe casualties for the 58th. From a Battalion that normally comprised about 50 Officers plus about 300 regular soldiers, 333 casualties were recorded! The 58th was almost wiped out! The Battle continued until Oct 11th and it would comprise one of the closing battles in the war, for on that same day, Sept. 29th, Ludendoff and Hindenburg met with the Kaiser and the Foreign Secretary, who had come to German Headquarters and insisted on an immediate request for an armistice. The war would end on Nov. 11, 1918.
Lorne’s ordeal would not be over. Although he must have rejoiced to know that hostilities had ended and he had survived, he would miss out on all the wonderful celebrations that followed the Armistice! On Oct. 1, 1918 he was taken to a Field Hospital. From there, he was admitted on Oct. 8th to 2nd Canadian General Hospital at La Treport, France. By Oct. 15th he was listed as “seriously ill”. Conflicting paperwork occurs here. One report says he was reprimanded for being AWL on Oct. 18th to 20th and forfeited three days pay! Another show he was admitted on Oct 17th to 2nd General Hospital in Havre, France. Removed from the ‘seriously ill” list and sent back to England “invalided and posted” to 2dn CORD, Whitby, where he was admitted on Oct 19th to 2dn Southern General (South Mains) Hospital in Bristol, England. There he remained for almost three months. Eventually the reports began to read “healing well”.
On Jan. 16, 1919, Lorne was sent to the Canadian General Hospital in Basingstoke where he continued to be treated for “frustration of movement of left scapula (shoulder blade), 75 degrees of normal. Left elbow, 45 degrees of normal. Discharging from lower back. Fracture of 8th rib and left scapula, some retraction of L base of L.lung.” He would remain there until May 9, 1919.
On May 10, 1919, Lorne was admitted to No. 5 Canadian General Hospital, Kirkdale. Here his wound was declared ‘healed’, and he was “invalided to leave.”
On June 10, 1919 he shipped out of Liverpool aboard the H.S.Essequibo, arriving in Portland, Maine on June 21, 1919. From there he was sent (probably by train) to London, Ontario, Canada. He was admitted to WOMH in London, ON. June 23,1919. Here he remained, receiving treatment and having x-rays. On July 29, 1919 an “operation was done to remove callous from the 8th rib behind.” By Nov. reports read “in hospital with recurrent attacks of fever, probably the result of a foreign body in the lung at the left base which ultimately resulted in an abscess. The abscess opened spontaneously on Nov. 5th. 1919 and discharged a considerable quantity of foul bloody pus. This drained in 10 days, wound now closed. The arm has remained the same since the wound occurred.” By December the Medical Officer was “of the opinion that the patient will do well at home on the farm.” With a shaky hand, Lorne signed his ‘Statement of the Invalid’ paper agreeing with his disabilities, and on Dec.4, 1919 he was discharged as “Medically unfit.” It was approved the next day. Lorne went home to the farm with $420.00 dollars and memories and pain that he would endure for the rest of his life.
Sources: 1 Attestation papers from Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa.
2 History of the Canadian Expeditionary Force by G.L.W. Nicholson (PDF format)
3 The Great War. Canadian Expeditionary Force. 1914-1919 by G.W.L. Nicholson.
4 Second to None. The Fighting 58th Battalion of the CEF. By Keith R. Shackleton
5 A Long Long Way. By Sabastian Barry
6 Legion Magazine. Articles by Arthur Bishop and Terry Copp: various issues.
7 The War Diary for the 58th Battalion (PDF format)
8 Lest We Forget. 161st Battalion of Huron. 1916-1996. Booklet.
9 Huron Overseas. A. (Sandy) McDonald. Unpublished manuscript.
Medals Awarded to Lorne Wilson Armstrong
War Office, 3rd September, 1919.
With reference to the announcement of the undermentioned awards which appeared in the London Gazette of the 1st January, 1919, the following are the acts of gallantry for which the awards were made:—
DISTINGUISHED CONDUCT MEDAL.
654780 Sjt. L. W. Armstrong, 58th Bn., Can. Infy.
For gallantry and devotion to duty during the attack on the village of Demuin on 8th August, 1918. He was one of a party that worked round a fortified house and bombed the enemy out, during the fighting in Demuin. His daring and skilled bombing materially assisted in the clearing of this position. He afterwards led his platoon through to the final objective, at all times showing coolness and good leadership.
Source: 31537 Second Supplement to The London Gazette of Tuesday, the 2 of September, 1919; Page 84; # 11174 supplement of the London Gazette for 3 September, 1919
MILITARY MEDAL
His Majesty the KING has been graciously pleased to approve of the award of the Military Medal for bravery in the Field to the undermentioned Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and Men: —
654780 Sjt. Armstrong, L. W., 58th Bn., 2nd C. Ontario R.
Source: 31430 Third Supplement to The London Gazette of Tuesday, 1 July, 1919; Page 4, #8336 Supplement to the London Gazette of 3 July, 1919.
Additional notes:
Only one other soldier in the 161st was awarded two medals: Harry Miner; Victoria Cross and the Croix de Guerre. He was killed in the battle at Demuin, east of Amiens, Aug 8, 1918.
Medals awarded in the 161st were:
Military Cross: 5
Military Medals: 26, 4 with Bar
Distinguish Conduct Medal 3
The 161st was comprised of 777men. 117 were killed in action, 15 more died of wounds in France or England. Countless more were wounded, but survived to come home. A number died as a result of their wounds after returning home. Many of the rest were permanently scarred physically and psychologically by what they had endured.
"More Military History Lorne Wilson Armstrong"
From the March 17th,1982 issue of '161' Newsletter
Featured, in this special edition, is "Vimy Veteran" (formerly from Varna) No.654780, Armstrong, (Pte.) Lorne W. who enlisted May 9th, 1916, at London, Ontario
The name of "next of kin" on a the 1916 O'seas roll, is given as (Geo. Armstrong). Geo. was Private Lorne's father; his address, Varna, was his home community, before and after World War One. (Pte,) L. W. Armstrong, the soldier standing at right In this 'trio' ( there was a photo in the Newsletter) was one of 3 '161sters' to receive, while overseas D.C.M. (Distinguished Conduct Medal) for "Bravery".
A kinsman, A. Armstrong, (formerly of 'the Goshen Line Stanley Twp. who is a former neighbor of the late Great war soldier) related some details he had heard through Armstrong's nephew, Elmer Stephenson, of Egmondville. Said Allen, "During the battle, Lorne, with some other raw recruits, were told to capture an enemy trench; as they advanced, Lorne's squad became fewer and fewer until there was only Lorne and a few other Privates left; when they began to show signs of turning back, Armstrong said, "If you two retreat, it'll be too bad for you--I'll put a bullet through both of you myself" Private L. Armstrong with the two other soldiers then completed their assignment and, (with the assistance of several thousand more Allied troops) captured, 65 years ago, in April, 1917, "Vimy Ridge". The "wounded" veteran of "Vimy" (Armstrong) recovered and returned to Huron County.
Judging by a report from the soldier's nephew, E. Stephenson, Lorne was one of the '161st Hurons' to cross the channel, in December 1916, to fight with the 58th', in France. The Clinton News-Record recorded (Pte.) L. Armstrong's death as having occurred at Westminster War Veterans Hospital, London, Ontario on December 7th, 1963.
Compiled by A. 'Sandy' McDonald, 213 Widder Street, Goderich.
General Notes (Wife)
Obituary writeup in Clinton News Record December 1986.
Mrs. Ada Armstrong, formerly of Stanley Twp., at Exeter Villa Nursing Home, Exeter, on Mon. Dec. 15, 1986 in her 87th year. Ada Dietz, beloved wife of the late Lorne Armstrong. Survived by nieces and nephews and one sister, Lidia Stibbons of Chateau Gardens, Parkhill and one dear friend, Shirley Luther of Hensall. Friends called at the Whitney-Ribey Funeral Home, 87 Goderich St., W., Seaforth, after 7 pm until 2pm Wed., when funeral services were held. Spring interment Bayfield Cemetery.
Lawrence Arthur Armstrong and Connie Lyn Carlson
Husband Lawrence Arthur ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
Father: James Wilson ARMSTRONG Mother: Margaret Tennent SANDERSON
Marriage:
Wife Connie Lyn CARLSON (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
Children
1 M Evan James ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
2 M Taylor Danielle ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
Dwight Todd Coopersmith and Leanne Marie Armstrong
Husband Dwight Todd COOPERSMITH (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:Marriage:
Wife Leanne Marie ARMSTRONG (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
Father: Robert Rainey ARMSTRONG Mother: Yvonne FRANKE
Children
1 M Colby Todd COOPERSMITH (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
2 M Tyler Glen COOPERSMITH (details suppressed for this person)
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
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