terry carter
Birmingham Pals
Remembering
The Birmingham Weekly Post Saturday 1 May, 1915
Private J E Armstrong, 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers, was killed in action on 30th March. He was formerly of the British Lion, Newtown Row, and was the son of Mr J Armstrong of the Dewdrop Inn, Alma Street. He leaves a widow and three young children. He was 34 years of age.
The above extract indicates that Joseph Edward Armstrong was most probably a former Regular soldier serving with the Royal Scots Fusiliers (he was Birmingham born) who when leaving the Army joined the Birmingham Pub trade, in Aston, like his father. he would have been a Reservist and mobilised at the start of the War, 4 August 1914. His battalion, 1st Royal Scots Fusilers, landed at Le Havre 14 August 1914, as part of the 3rd Infantry Division.
His Medal Card Index shows that he went into a theatre of war on 8 September 1914.
Pte Joseph Edward Armstrong, No.7156 is buried in Hedge Row Trench Cemetery, Zillebeke, Belgium. His actual grave position was lost, due know doubt, to the horrific conditions that soldiers faced on the Ypres Salient. He is know remembered on a Special Memorial in the Cemetery.