William ARMSTRONG

March 1996

Bill had been trained in the army as a medical orderly. He was in ANGAU and later became a Medical Assistant. In late 1949 and early 1950, he was in Namatanai where there was no hospital, and the Administration had no money to build one. Bill, with the support of the local people and the planters, found old timber, iron, etc., and involved himself in building a semi-native material hospital. The only cost was 120 pounds, mainly for nails. Later he served in the Highlands spending a long time in Goroka as Hospital Secretary. Then he moved to Port Moresby where he was Hospital Secretary briefly and then was in charge of Moresby’s Ambulance Services. He also spent some time in Rabaul as Acting Hospital Secretary and then Hospital Inspector for the New Guinea Islands Region.

He retired to the Gold Coast. His wife, Margaret, pre-deceased him. He is survived by his sons Gary and Dale. Paul Enders and Bert Speer