ARMSTRONG, Abel

Abel Armstrong was a young married man, aged 27 years, with blond hair, blue eyes, a fair complexion and a height of 5'4". He lived with his wife, Vera Margaret, in Berry St., East Melbourne and was a labourer. After training at Broadmeadows, the 14 Battalion embarked at Melbourne on 17 June, 1915,  on the Wandilla for Alexandria, then transferred to the Itonius for the Dardanelles.

The 14th Battalion formed part of the 4th brigade, comannded by Sir John Monash. From May to August, 1915, they were heavily involved in establishing and defending the front line. In August, the 4th brigade attacked Hill 971, the highest part of the Sari Bair Ridge, in order to secure a drive through to the Turkish held fort guarding the Straits. Abel Armstrong was part of that drive. According to the Unit History of the 14th battalion, an assault on the summit of Hill 971 was undertaken on 8 August, 1915, the day Abel Armstrong was wounded. It was, it said 'a costly failure'.

Abel Armstrong was evacuated to Malta, where he was admitted to the Baviere Hospital. His medical report read 'He was wounded on Aug. 8th at the Dardanelles by bullet, which struck him in the right shoulder just about region of upper margin of scapula and came out through the left ancillary region going right through the chest. He brought up clots of blood (expectorated) for some three weeks small clots mixed with saliva.' In fact, the bullet had not emerged and it was not until later that it was removed. On 30 October, 1915, he had recovered to the extent that he was shipped back from Malta to England and transferred to King George's hospital, Stamford. From here, he was invlaided out and sent back home on the H.T. Suevic, leaving from Portland. He disembarked at Melbourne on 22 April, 1916, but two months later was admitted to the Military Hospital in Caulfield with a collapsed left lung.

On 22 August, 1917, he was awarded a pension: 60 shillings for himself, 30/- for Vera and another 20/- for their son, Arthur. The pensions were all reduced by 50% in 1917, perhaps because he had recovered somewhat from his injuries. According to the electoral rolls, in 1919, they were living in East Melbourne, still at 51 Berry Street. By 1924, they lived in Bridge Rd. Richmond. On 1 February, 1933, at the height of the Depression, Abel , along with another man, was charged with loitering on railway property at Seymour and having unlawfully assaulted a railway employee engaged in security. In the mid-1930s, Abel and Vera had moved to Paddington, where he was working as  a cleaner, but in 1936, along with their son, Arthur, now a pastrycook, they had moved back to East Melbourne at 55 Goerge Street. By 1958, Vera was living alone in Sydney, domiciled at 91 Bronte Street, Bondi Junction.