Campaign to bring home the spirit of Sapper Frank Armstrong

Organisers of a new Great War tribute are working to ensure there’ll be a little bit of Belgium in Charters Towers. The developers of the GOLDTOWER commercial precinct are scoping a physical tribute to acknowledge the local miners who served in WW1. Gold Tower Commerical precinct in Charters Towers It’s early days yet, but military historian and retired mining engineer, Ross Thomas said they’ve appealed to Lieutenant Colonel, Carney Elias, Defence Attache in Brussels and the ex-director of the Australia War Memorial, Dr Brendan Nelson for helping bring home a soil specimen from Belgium. The location is near where Charters Towers miner, 26-year-old Sapper Francis (Frank) Hugh Armstrong died in the 3rd Battle of Ypres on 1 October 1917, not far from Polygon Wood. “Born in Luke St Charters Towers, Frank was one of 39 local miners who served in tunnelling companies during the Great War and the only one not to return home” said Mr Thomas. “We've narrowed down reasonably accurately the location where Sapper Armstrong has his final resting place,” he said. “We’ve used Australian Red Cross files, Commonwealth War grave records and eyewitness accounts and finally pinpointed a dugout where Armstrong and another Australian sapper, took refuge during a heavy German artillery bombardment. They were returning from Hooge Crater depot with rations for their unit to which they were attached. The dugout scored a direct shell hit and a subsequent inspection revealed none of their remains. Mr Thomas tracked down Sapper Armstrong’s great-niece, Rhonda Armstrong in Townsville, seeking her approval as a direct descendant. To find Rhonda so close to Charters Tower after such a long period is a unique occurrence. “It’s using the contacts that you have and ticking all the right legal, ethical and moral boxes to achieve this outcome,” he said. “It's the most beautiful story that needs telling”. “The concept of bringing home a soil specimen from the battlefield where Frank fell is symbolic of retuning home his spirit. Hence the name of the campaign” “With the possible inclusion of an eternally burning gas flame in the tribute, we would like to think of it as beckoning home the spirit of all Australian tunnellers lost in the Great War” Sad to think that 62,000 Aussie were lost during the hostilities and a great many of these have no know graves. Some never even made it to a Commonwealth War Grave at all and lie buried on a battlefield in Europe or lost at sea. Mr Thomas, who was responsible for a bronze stature that is housed in the Townsville military museum and was an executive producer on the war film Beneath Hill 60 ,said it had been a rewarding journey.

Campaign to bring home the spirit of Sapper Frank Armstrong

Industry Queensland

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