The President and Council are sad to have to report the passing of Michael Armstrong. Michael graduated from university in 1945. In his formative engineering training he spent six months at Clydebank being involved in building HMS Vanguard. Following this experience he was appointed as Engineering Officer on board HMS Berwick. He had two trips on this ship to Australia via Sri Lanka (formerly called Ceylon) calling in at the port of Colombo. He recalled being lucky to see so much of the world at a young age, and at only 21 years of age he had crossed the Indian Ocean. The ship called in at Freemantle where they collected 150 interned passengers to transport to Melbourne. Michael visited the city of Sydney twice and recalled those times as wonderful experiences. After serving in the Navy he joined the family business which had been started by his father, Walter Armstrong, who himself had been a long serving member of the Leeds Association of Engineers. On his father’s retirement Michael took over the business which was absorbed by the Leeds company of Henry Berry Ltd. Michael was a long serving member of the Leeds Association of Engineers, having joined in 1948, and had been Treasurer and Trustee, serving on the council for many years. For a number of years Michael was Toastmaster at the Annual Dinner, fighting an uphill battle to get everyone in their seats for the speeches and especially attempting to keep to the timetable of events. He was a very accomplished musician and had received a special award for playing the oboe in the Leeds Symphony Orchestra for over sixty-five years. Amateur dramatics was another interest and he had been involved with Adel Players taking to the stage on numerous occasions as well as directing and producing several plays. Michael had two sons and one daughter. In recent months although he had mobility problems he still maintained a very healthy sense of humour and a ready smile. His infectious laugh will be missed by all those who knew this charming gentleman.
Michael’s funeral will be attended by members of the association to pay respects and in recognition of his considerable contribution over the years. He will be fondly remembered by his close friends in the association.
We extend our deepest condolences to Michael’s family and friends at this sad time….
Michael Armstrong – RIP