Walter Raymond Farnham
From Our Contribution
Personal Information | |
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Date of Birth | 24 Sep 1897 |
Place of Birth | Fremantle, Western Australia |
Death | 9 Oct 1922 |
Place of Death | Edward Millen Home, Victoria Park, Western Australia |
Age at Enlistment | 21 years, 6 months |
Description |
5'6½" (1.69m) tall ; 142 lbs 64.41 kg ; fair complexion ; blue eyes ; brown hair |
Occupation | Clerk |
Religion | Church of England |
Address | Station Master's House, Kelmscott, Western Australia |
Next of Kin | Father , Mr Joshua Farnham |
Military Information | |
Reg Number | 4436 |
Date of Enlistment | 1 Oct 1915 |
Rank | Private |
Unit/Formation | 11th Battalion, transferred to 51st Battalion / 13th Brigade, 4th Division |
Date of Embarkation |
9 Oct 1915 ‒ unknown at Alexandria "unknown at Alexandria" contains an extrinsic dash or other characters that are invalid for a date interpretation. |
Ship Embarked On | HMAT A7 Medic As a Stowaway |
Date of Return | 10 Jul 1916 ‒ 6 Aug 1916 |
Ship Returned On | HMAT A46 Clan McGillivray Port Suez to Fremantle |
Fate | Returned to Australia |
Monument | Kelmscott War Memorial (North panel) |
Medals |
1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal |
Pre War
On 2 Oct 1912 Walter was accepted as a cadet in the Western Australian Railways. On 9 Feb 1914 he was suspended and then dismissed for unsatisfactory conduct and submitting a bogus letter re military leave.
Walter had previously attempted to enlist but was knocked back on medical grounds.
War Service
Walter stowed away on the HMAT A7 Medic, and was enlisted at Ghezirah, Cairo, Egypt on 1 Oct 1915. His records indicate some time spent with the 8th Battery Field Artillery Brigade before being taken on by the 11th Battalion. He appears to have served at Gallipoli with them, and during his time at Gallipoli, he was hospitalised on Lemnos in the 2nd Australian Stationary Hospital for three weeks in October 1915 with Rheumatic Fever. On his return to Anzac Cove he noticed shortness of breath when exerting himself.
On his return to Egypt he suffered an accidental bullet wound to his arm on 16 Apr 1916 and was admitted to 2nd Australian Stationary Hospital at Tel-el-Kebir. Walter was discharged to duty 3 days later on 19 Apr 1916. On 27 Apr 1916 Walter was posted to the3rd Training Battalion. Walter was transferred on 20 May 1916 to the 51st Battalion. Five days after joining the 51st Battalion he was again hospitalised in 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital, this time with heart issues (myocarditis).
Assessed on 28 May 1916 and found to be unfit for duty, he was promptly returned to Australia, leaving Suez, Egypt via the HMAT A46 Clan McGillivray on 10 Jul 1916, arriving 6 Aug 1916 in Melbourne. Railed back to WA where he was hospitalised in 8th Australian General Hospital from 6 - 11 Aug 1916, before being discharged by 5th Military District on 28 Aug 1916.
Post War
Awarded a pension which was increased on 21 Jun 1917 to 30/- fortnightly. At the time he was again residing with his parents at the Kelmscott Railway Stationmaster's house.
Married in 1921 to Janet Cowan. Janet appears to remarry in 1935 to James H McCulloch.
DEATHS - FARNHAM - On October 9, 1922, at his residence, 437 Albany-road, Victoria Park, Walter Raymond, dearly beloved husband of Janet Farnham, aged 25 years. A patient sufferer at rest.[1] A later entry speaks of the staff at the Edward Millen Home where obviously Walter was being cared for.
References
- ↑ "Family Notices". The West Australian. XXXVIII, (6,362). Western Australia. 12 October 1922. p. 1. Retrieved 22 June 2017 – via National Library of Australia.