John James Armstrong

War Service

When war was declared in August 1914 John James was working at the colliery when he volunteered at Normanton joining the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and assigned to the 2nd Battalion as Private 17825. John James would not have been with the battalion when it arrived at Le Havre on Sunday 16 August 1914, just 12 days after the declaration of war. The exact date John James arrived in France is unknown, although calculations based upon the pension granted to his wife give the estimated time spent in France as less than 12 months.
The Battalion was virtually in action throughout 1915 trying to stem the tide of the German advance, including the Battle for Hill 60 and the Second Battle of Ypres, suffering heavy casualties. John James would have been just one of the men sent to replace the fallen.
Prior to the start of the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916, John James Armstrong, a miner from Altofts, spent his last night in trenches approximately 275m east of the village of Authuille and approximately 2km south-east of Thiepval waiting for the start of the Battle of the Somme. At 6.25am the British artillery put up a tremendous barrage on the German trenches. At 7.30am the barrage lifted, the whistle blew and, under a cover of smoke the leading infantry battalions climbed out of their trenches to advance over No Man’s Land towards the German trenches.
At the start of the battle, John James’s battalion was a supporting battalion; they knew orders would follow instructing them to go over the top and advance over No Man’s Land but now with the knowledge of what they were about to face, after the carnage of the initial advance.
During the first two days, the 2nd Battalion King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry had a total 249 officers and men wounded, 46 killed in action and 46 missing.
John James Armstrong was one of the five men from Altofts reported missing on 1 July 1916 and never found but are remembered on the Thiepval Memorial.

Family Life

John James Armstrong was born in Altofts to James Armstrong and Rebecca nee Cooper, both had moved to Altofts, as children, from different areas of Staffordshire with their families. The Armstrong and Cooper families lived close together in houses built by the owners of the new Pope and Pearson’s West Riding Colliery. James would have known Rebecca throughout his childhood, eventually their friendship blossomed into more than friends. They were married at All Saints Parish Church, Normanton on the 20 November 1887; setting up home with Rebecca’s parents at 14, East Street, Altofts. They then moved across the road to live in their own home at 25, Silkstone Row, Altofts.
It is unknown whether James and Rebecca were living in their new home when John James Armstrong was born on 15 April 1889, then later baptised at the Wesleyan Methodist Mission rooms on 6 May 1889. Other brothers and sisters following – Samuel, Polly, Anne, Daniel, Alice, Sarah and Ruth.
John James lived in Silkstone Row for most of his short life. After leaving school he followed his father, James, to work at the colliery, the same life path that his brothers Samuel and Daniel would take when they in turn left school.
John James was still living in the family house when on the 23 December 1911 he married Caroline Potts of 36, Mill Lane, Normanton at All Saints Parish Church, Normanton. They were not to know that world events taking place would curtail their life together. He was 23 years old and employed as a hewer/filler at the colliery. Caroline was 22, living at home with her elderly parents. Probably John James and Caroline started their marriage together living with Caroline’s parents. In 1913 Caroline gave birth to John James’s son, James W Armstrong.
John James had been married to his wife, Caroline, for approximately four and half years, only half of that time he would have been at home. Confirmed by a family member, Caroline gave birth to their daughter Sally, then James W Armstrong in 1913, followed by a baby also named John James in 1916. John James would only have had a brief time with his son James W and possibly never saw his baby John James before embarking to France.
Sometime later Caroline married William Alway of 24, Foxholes Lane, Altofts on the 5 April 1919 at All Saints Parish Church, Normanton.

Thiepval Memorial