Notes on Alexander Armstrong

Alexander's Army Records
Information supplied from the records of the Regimental Headquarters, The Black Watch. Royal Highland Regiment, Balhousie Castle, Hay Street, Perth in Scotland.

1. 2711 Alexander Armstrong, born in Parish of Bower, Caithness. Enlisted 42nd, Thurso ( County Caithness ), 20th December 1849, aged 20years and 9months, black hair, black eyes, fair complexion.
   Discharged Chatham, 14th December 1856.
   Description Book 42nd, 1795 - 1873 [BW Arch 0002]
    
2. 2711 Alexander Armstrong, enlisted 20th December 1849, promoted to Corporal 9th February 1853; promoted to Sergent 2nd November 1854; discharged Chatham, 14th December 1856, pension 8d a day for 30 months. Crimea Medal & Turkish Crimea Medal.
   Record of Sergeants, 42nd. 1826-1873 p.42.
    
3. 2711 Alexander Armstrong Crimea War Medal, 1854-56, with bars, Alma, Balaclava and Sebastopol.
   Black Watch Medal Roll, 1801 - 1911.  Ed. John Stewart. p.55.
    

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Notes from "The Albany Advertiser"

Thursday, 8th April 1897.
"The golden wedding of Mr. Alexander Armstrong, Sen. and Mrs. Armstrong will be celebrated today at the residence of Mr. & Mrs Thomas Davidson, Duke Street. Mr. Armstrong is one of the oldest and most respected of our townsmen. He served in the army and was all through the Crimean war, being present at the battles of Alma Inkerman, Balaklava and the assaults on the Redan. He holds several Crimean medals. He came to the colony in 1860 as a warder in charge of convicts and soon afterwards settled in Albany, where he has resided for 35 years. He was in charge of a gang of prisoners that made York Street, which previously was a deep gully. A large company will be present at the golden wedding celebrations."

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Tuesday, 13th April 1897.
"On Thursday and Friday evening last the golden wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander, Sen. was celebrated at the house of Mr. & Mrs Thomas Davidson, Duke Street, when a large circle of friends and well-wishers assembled. A sumptuous table was filled several times and ample justice done to the good things provided. Several toasts were proposed and responded to by Mr. John Moir (the Mayor), Dr. Ingoldy, Rev. G. Brewster, Messrs. Wyle, Manly and Hemmingway. The toast of the evening was that of the venerable guests, whose genial countenances bespoke their happiness. Several golden presents were made to the guests, and one of these was a massive ring by which the aged bridegroom pledged his troth once again, after which he made a nice little speech. Mrs. Davidson and Mrs. Walters, daughters of Mr. Armstrong provided the entertainment in a most liberal manner."

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Tuesday, 2nd October 1901.
"Death of an old colonist - It is with regret we have to announce the death of Mr. Alexander Armstrong Sen., who passed away at 1.45 a.m., at the residence of Mr. T. W. Davidson in Duke Street. The deceased gentleman came to the colony in 1861 as a sergeant and was stationed in Perth for two years after which he came to Albany and has resided here ever since. For the first 14 years of his residence in this town he filled the position of warder in charge of convicts, when he retired from the service on a pension. He then entered into the boating business which he carried on successfully up to the last six years when his two sons, (Mr. A. Armstrong jun. and Mr. Geo. Walters), took over the business. Prior to coming to Western Australia, Mr. Armstrong was in the Black Watch regiment, which he joined at the age of 20, and served with them through the Crimean war, taking part in the siege of Sebastopol and also the battles of Balaklava and Alma for which he holds medals. He was also the recipient of a medal from the Sultan of Turkey in 1855. The deceased, who leaves a widow, one son and five daughters, had been ailing for some time and on Monday night the members of his family, knowing the end was near, gathered to the bedside. At a quarter to one Mr. Armstrong fell asleep peacefully. Mr. Armstrong took a great interest in the town and was also a prominent member of the I.O.G.T. for years. The news of his death was received with great regret."

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Friday, 25th October 1901.
"The late Mr. Armstrong. - The remains of the late Mr. Armstrong were interned in the Wesleyan cemetery on Tuesday afternoon. The funeral procession headed by the A.V.A. Band, left the residence of Mr. Davidson at 3 pm. and was followed by the leading business people and shipping agents of the town, also by members of the Permanent Force and A.V. Artillery as well as other sympathisers. Mr. Layton carried out the funeral arrangements, and Messrs. John Moir, W. H. Angove, J. McKenzie, J.P.. and Mr. H. Knight acted as pallbearers. The Rev. Dunstan conducted the ceremony, and at the grave-side, where over 300 people had assembled, spoke of esteem in which the deceased gentleman was held by all who knew him. The following sent wreaths and crosses and messages of condolence. Dr. and Mrs. Ingoldy, Mrs. M. Powney, Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Chipper and Miss Cronin, Mr. and Mrs. Piddle, Mrs. Sherratt, Mr. and Mrs. M. Cull, Mr. and Mrs. W. G. Knight, Mr. and Mrs. Gribble, Mr. and Mrs. Walker, Mr. and Mrs. Skidmore, Mrs. Haywood, Mr. and Mrs. Kohler, Mr. and Mrs. Palmer and family, Mrs. J. Walker, Mr. and Mrs. A. Potts, Mr. and Mrs. Nolan, Mr. and Mrs. Geary, Mr. and Mrs. Geake."

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Saturday, 30th April 1904.
"Obituary - Many friends will regret to hear of the death of Mrs. Alexander Armstrong Sen. The sad event took place on Monday morning at the residence of Mr. T. W. Davidson in Stirling Terrace. Since the deceased lady lost her husband two and a half years ago she had been in bad health and the end came as a relief from great suffering. The funeral took place on Tuesday and was largely attended. Messrs John Moir, A. H. Richardson, J. W. Muir and E. Reynolds acted as pall-bearers while Messrs A. Armstrong, Geo. Walters, T. W. Davidson and G. Roberson were chief mourners. The remains were interned in the Methodist cemetery, the Rev. T. A. James officiating at the grave.

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Scottish 1851 Census.

Groat Family, Brown Street, Wick  Caithness  Scotland
NAME	Relation to head	AGE	OCCUPATION	WHERE BORN
Donald Groat	head, married	70 yrs.	pauper fisherman	Watten
Ann Groat (Sutherland)	wife, married	52 yrs		Sutherland, Kildonan
Christine Armstrong	daughter, married	20 yrs	soldier's wife	Yarrows, Caithness
William Armstrong	grandson	3 yrs		Puttney, Caithness
Ann Armstrong	grand-daughter	7 mths		Puttney, Caithness
Donald Groat	son	20 yrs	fisherman	Yarrows, Caithness
Ann Groat	daughter	13 yrs	net worker	Yarrows, Caithness
Isabella Groat	daughter	9 yrs	scholar	Yarrows, Caithness
* note they are also on the Mackay family Census.
*John Groat	son	18 yrs	fisherman	Yarrows, Caithness
*George Groat	son	14 yrs	fisherman	Yarrows, Caithness
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Mackay Family, Upper Wick  Caithness Scotland
NAME	Relation to head	AGE	OCCUPATION	WHERE BORN
Alexander Mackay	head, married	43 yrs	fisherman	Latheron, Caithness
Janet Mackay	wife, married	45 yrs		Thurso, Caithness
Christine Mackay	daughter	18 yrs		Wick, Caithness
Angus Mackay	son	10 yrs		Wick, Caithness
Jessie Mackay	daughter	7 yrs		Wick, Caithness
EMPLOYED 2 MEN - * note they are also on the Groat family Census.
*John Groat		18 yrs	fisherman	Wick, Caithness
*George Groat		14 yrs	fisherman	Wick, Caithness
Mackay Family, Parish of Roster, Latheron  Caithness Scotland
NAME	Relation to head	AGE	OCCUPATION	WHERE BORN
Alexander Mackay	head, married	63	farmer	Berriedale, Caithness
Margaret Mackay nee Campbell	wife, married	55		Lairg, Sutherland
William Mackay	son	30	fisherman	Berridale
John Mackay	son	28	fisherman	Berridale
James Mackay	son	26	fisherman	Berridale
Alexander Mackay	son	24	fisherman	Berridale
David Mackay	son	22	fisherman	Clyth
Robert Mackay	son	20	fisherman	Clyth
Finlay Mackay	son	18	fisherman	Clyth
Clark Alexander Mackay	son	16	fisherman	Clyth
Margaret Mackay	daughter	10	school	Clyth
Ann Mackay	daughter	8	school	Clyth

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William Victor Armstrong - Facts.

Born 31st May 1894 in Albany WA - Registration No. 67/1894

[age 16 yrs] May 1910 - Was employed as a Junior Assistant in the Ironmongery Department of Edward Barnett & Co., Albany WA. He left on his own accord on the 15th November 1910.

[age 16 yrs] November 1910 - Was employed with N. Phillips, General Merchant, of Tambellup WA. and left his employer on the 27th September 1913.

[age 19 yrs] November 1913 - was employed by A. E. Jolly & Co., (Merchant, Importers, Shipping, Station, Customs and General Commission Agent) Darwin, NT. for 4 months and left on the 3rd March 1914.

[age 20 yrs] 2036 Pte. Armstrong W. was discharged, on the disbandment of Corps from the 2nd Infantry Battalion (Australian Naval and Military Expedition) on the 17th September 1914 at Townsville QLD. after 45 days of military service.

[age 20 yrs] - ? October 1914. Was employed with Armstrong, Ledlie & Stillman of Cairns for 5 months.

[age 21 yrs] William married (1) Florence Victoria Nugent (Vicki), daughter of John Nugent and Charlotte Briggs, on the 8th September 1915 in Brisbane Qld.

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Robert Small - arrived in WA in 1853
SHIP "Robert Small"

This 655 ton ship was built at Newcastle in 1835. It was employed as a convict transport for Western Australia and left London, England on May 1, 1853 bound for the Swan River Colony. She carried the tenth of 37 shipments of male convicts destined for Western Australia. The voyage took 110 days and the Robert Small arrived in Fremantle on August 19, 1853 with 99 passengers and 300 convicts [Erickson]. J.H. Walker and Harvey Morris were the captain and surgeon respectively.

There were ten deaths recorded on the convict shipping and description lists. They said eight men died at sea, one died in the harbour and one in the Convict Establishment Hospital. Michael Crolly (2051) was the harbour death; John Curren (2196) the hospital death; and John Reilly (2019), William Burke (2131), Patrick Donnellan (2138), John Dea (2171), Patrick Cullen (2205), Edmund Halley (2256), Michael Meehan (2268) and Thomas Beadle (2313) died at sea. Cholera and typhus were mentioned as the cause of death in some cases.

It was later revealed that the ballast on the Robert Small was made of a mixture of sand and Dutch Clay - a black peat like manure with such a high organic content that it putrefied in the tropics and emitted a stifling gas. The ship had to call into Rio-de-Janeiro to off-load 150 tons of the ballast and a medical inquiry held in Fremantle found that the ballast was a probable cause of disease on board. Surgeon-Superintendent Morris appears to have only registered a third of those who came to him sick.

There were 309 convict numbers assigned for the voyage ranging from (2005 to 2313) but [Bateson] claimed that 312 convicts embarked and 303 arrived. The 8 deaths at sea and the death in the harbour tally with the [Erickson] arrival figure of 300.

Of the 99 passengers mentioned above, 98 were pensioner guards and their families, the number being made up of 29 pensioner guards, 23 wives, 20 sons and 26 daughters. The remaining passenger has not been accounted for but was possibly a cabin passenger or a regular soldier.

Harvey Morris' surgeon's journal for the voyage is preserved in the Public Record Office (PRO) in London. Researchers can view a copy on the Australian Joint Copying Project (AJCP) microfilm reel M711 which is held in most major libraries and archives offices throughout Australia.

The following list is an alphabetically sorted list of the names associated with each of the 309 convict numbers assigned to this voyage. The comments field gives alternative names attributed to the various convicts, many of which are not only spelling variations, but alternative names used in later life or in subsequent re-convictions. The age quoted seems to refer to the age of the convict when the passenger list was created.


Surname Christian Name(s) Age Rank; Regiment & Remarks Armstrong Alexander .. sergeant; 42nd Regiment; arrived in 1862 per 'Lincelles' (?) - refer: 'Bicentennial Dictionary of WA' Armstrong Christina .. wife Arthurs Joseph 46...
Armstrong     Alexander             ..   sergeant; 42nd Regiment; arrived in 1862 per 'Lincelles' (?) - refer: 'Bicentennial Dictionary of WA'
Armstrong     Christina             ..   wife
Surname       Christian Name(s)     Age  Rank; Regiment & Remarks

Armstrong     Alexander             ..   religious instructor; protestant
Morris        Harvey                ..   surgeon superintendent

 

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