FARRELL, Edward Joseph
| Service Number: | 3307 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 July 1915, Keswick, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Port Pirie, South Australia, Australia, April 1895 |
| Home Town: | Port Pirie, Port Pirie City and Dists, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Fireman |
| Memorials: | Port Pirie Fathers of Sailors and Soldiers Association Port Pirie District Roll of Honor WW1 |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3307, 10th Infantry Battalion, Keswick, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 3307, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Benalla embarkation_ship_number: A24 public_note: '' | |
| 27 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 3307, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Benalla, Adelaide |
Help us honour Edward Joseph Farrell's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Edward Joseph Farrell was born in Port Pirie, South Australia in approximately April 1895. He had a fair complexion, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Farrell measured 5 foot, 8 inches and weighed 159 pounds. He lived a quiet and relatively normal life with his father. Before applying for the war, Farrell was a fireman and so worked across all of South Australia. From a young age Edward clearly enjoyed helping others, and this was shown throughout both his occupation and his war journey. He belonged to a Roman Catholic family. Farrell was single before he departed for the war, only leaving his father behind. On his service record, we can see that Farrell selected his father to be his next of kin.
By 1915, Australia had begun to fight heavily in World War 1, and needed young men to apply. Farrell decided that he would go to war and serve his country. He took the enlistment oath on the 26th of July 1915 at the age of 20. He embarked the HMAT A24 Benalla on the 27th of October 1915. Edward Farrell first went to the British base in Egypt. Egypt was the first stop for many Australian battalions and was used as a safe training ground for the British and its allies. While in Egypt, Farrell was transferred to a few different units before ending up in the 21st Field Artillery Brigade. In June 1916 he went to France.
Farrell fought on the Western Front for 2 years. He moved around throughout this period but proceeded back to France on the 15th of August 1917 – where he stayed for the remainder of the war. I believe that Farrell fought throughout the Somme Battle and the Third Battle of Ypres – both of which meant lasting through more terrible conditions. Farrell continued to fight up until the end of 1918.
Click images to start slideshow.