Colour by CJS

The cruel hand of fate.

Major Henry Wyndham Francis Blackburne Farrer MC & two bars.

Henry was born in Rathfarnham, Dublin, Ireland in 1894.

His father was a canon in the Church of England.

Before the war the family home was in Bridport, Dorset.

He was educated at Sandroyd and later at Bedford School.

He was a good scholar and an excellent sportsman. He played cricket and football and was a fine athlete.

He entered the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich in December 1912.

He was sent to France in the opening days of the war.

He served with 30th (Howitzer) Battery, Royal Field Artillery.

He fought in most of the Battles on the Western Front including Aubers Ridge and Loos in 1915, The somme in 1916 and 3rd Ypres in 1917.

His heroism was recognised by the award of three Military Crosses.

The first MC was Gazetted on 3rd June 1916.

The first bar was Gazetted on 17th April 1917 and the second bar on 9th January 1918.

In addition he was awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre and was mentioned in dispatches three times.

He was wounded six times (on four occasions seriously).

He was killed instantly by shell fire just 12 days before the Armistice at Mazinghien, France on 30th October 1918.

He is buried in La Vallée-Mulâtre Communal Cemetery Extension.

Henry Farrer was 24 years old.

Private James Kennedy

James was born in North Shields, Northumberland in 1884.

He married Bertha Edward in 1908.

The couple had two sons, James born in 1909 and John who was born in 1913.

Before the war he worked as a general labourer and later as a shipyard worker/riveter.

He enlisted with his brother John in late 1915.

He was posted to France in mid 1916.

He served in 12th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers.

He fought in the Battle of the Somme in 1916.

He was killed in action near the villages of Wancourt and Heninel along the Scarpe River on 13th April 1917.

He has no known grave and in commemorated on the Arras Memorial to the missing.

James Kennedy was 32 years old.

Postscript
His brother Private John Kennedy was killed on 30th November 1917 serving with The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment in the Battle of Cambrai.

The family had earlier suffered the loss of Bertha’s nephew Edward Thomas Linsley who was killed on 26th Sept 1915 at the battle of Loos.

All three men are missing with no known graves.

My thanks to Kev Hugman for providing the photo and telling me about his Great Grandad James Kennedy.