FARRELL, James Vernon
| Service Number: | 1385 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 5th Machine Gun Company |
| Born: | Rocky Hall, New South Wales, Australia, 5 March 1887 |
| Home Town: | Waverley, Waverley, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Tram Conductor |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 14 November 1916, aged 29 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 25 Jun 1915: | Involvement Private, 1385, 19th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Jun 1915: | Embarked Private, 1385, 19th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ceramic, Melbourne | |
| 14 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 1385, 5th Machine Gun Company, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1385 awm_unit: 5th Australian Machine Gun Company awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-11-14 |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
James Vernon FARRELL, (Service Number 1385) was born on 5 March 1887 at Rocky Hall, near Eden. He commenced work with the NSW Tramways at the permanent way Depot at Tempe in 1911. He resigned in 1912 but was employed as a casual conductor in September 1914.In May 1915 he was released from duty to join the Expeditionary Forces and enlisted at Liverpool. He was married, to Ruby. He left Australia through Sydney aboard HMAT ‘Ceramic’ on 25 June 1915, allotted to the 19th Battalion, and reached Gallipoli in August.
In June 1916 he was transferred to the 5th Australian Machine Gun Company. He was killed in action on 14 November 1916 by a shell which fell in the trenches at Flers. An eyewitness, Private T O’Donnell (1326) reported: ‘I do not think he was buried as we were up to our waist is mud and water.’
Another, Major A H Wright wrote: ‘I saw Farrell buried in the first line trenches known as Turk Lane, between Flers and Eaucourt l’Abbaye, near a sap. I am not sure whether a cross was put up, but I should think it very doubtful there would be any indication of the grave now, as there has been so much heavy fighting over the ground.’
He indeed has no known grave and is remembered on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.
Submitted 30 June 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by John Oakes
James Vernon FARRELL (Service Number 1385) was born on 5th March 1887 at Rocky Hall near Eden. He commenced work with the NSW Tramways at the permanent way Depot at Tempe in 1911. He resigned in 1912 but was employed as a casual conductor in September 1914. In May 1915 he was released from duty to join the Expeditionary Forces.
He enlisted at Liverpool. He was married to Ruby. He left Australia from Sydney aboard HMAT ‘Ceramic’ on 25th June 1915. He was allotted to the 19th Battalion, and reached Gallipoli in August.
He was wounded on the 16th October 1915 but returned to duty the next day. At the end of the campaign he was evacuated through Mudros (on the Greek island of Lemnos) and then proceeded to join the British Expeditionary Force via Alexandria and Marseilles at the end of March 1916. In April he was hospitalised with mumps.
In June he was promoted to Acting Corporal.
In July he was wounded with shrapnel to both thumbs and his legs. He was transferred to the 5th Australian Machine Gun Company in the same month. When he recovered from these injuries he returned to France in August.
He was killed in action on 14th November 1916 by a shell which fell in the trenches at Flers. An eyewitness, Private T O’Donnell (1326) reported: ‘I do not think he was buried as we were up to our waist is mud and water.’
Another, Major A H Wright wrote: ‘I saw Farrell buried in the first line trenches known as Turk Lane, between Flers and Eaucourt l’Abbaye, near a sap. I am not sure whether a cross was put up, but I should think it very doubtful there would be any indication of the grave now, as there has been so much heavy fighting over the ground.’
He indeed has no known grave and is remembered on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.
The ever-vigilant Railways Accountant noted Farrell’s rank in the published casualty list as Lance Corporal and sought further details from the military authorities. He needed to know this because the Railways made up the difference in pay (from that of a soldier) for their employees.
James and Ruby Farrell had one child, Rita Stella
(NAA B2455-3548842)
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