29 January 1891 to 26 November 1918
FAR00647
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Served in the Canadian Army in WW1 and died of flu epidemic
shortly after the War ended
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Follow this link to the Farndales
of Tidkinhow
Tidkinhow
1891
William Farndale, son of Martin and Catherine (nee Lindsay)
Farndale (FAR00364) was born at Tidkinhow Farm on 29 January 1891 (BR and family knowledge). William
Farndale’s birth was registered in Guisborough District in the second quarter
of 1891 (GRO Vol 9d page 503).
The ninth member of the family of Martin and
Catherine was born on 29 January 1891. His parents called him William after
the child who had died two years before. As with the others, he went first to Charltons School and then
to Boosbeck. He left at 14
in 1905. Soon after this, he became an apprentice butcher in Saltburn with a Mr
Ormsby. He then served in a butcher's shop. Later he had a butchers shop in Charltons which he shared
with his elder brother Jim. They then took
another in Commondale. They began by sharing a bullock with a man in Guisborough who had a slaughter house. Later they
were selling three bullocks a week and were well remembered in their horse
drawn delivery van. Alfred remembered him at their mother's funeral (14 July
1911) as William consoled him.
The 1891
Census for Tidkin Howe, Stanghow
listed Martin Farndale, 46, farmer and ironstone miner;
Catherine Farndale, 35; John Farndale, 12, born 1879 at Kilton; Elizabeth
Farndale, 11, born 1880 at Kilton; Martin Farndale, 9, born 1882 at Kilton;
George Farndale, 8, born 1882 at Kilton; Catherine J Farndale, 6, born 1885 at
Ugthorpe; James Farndale, 5, born 1886, Stanghow; Mary F Farndale, 2, born
1889, Stanghow; and William Farndale, 0, born 1891, Stanghow.
1910
William shown aged 10.
The boys of Tidkinhow in about 1910.
John, James, Alfred, William, George and inset Martin
1911
1911 Census –
Tidkinhow, Boosbeck
William shown now aged 20, a butcher
Saskatchewan, Canada
1913
William Farndale, was a butcher at Guisborough before he went
to Alberta Canada about 1913. He moved to Earl Grey near Regina,
Saskatchewan in 1914 and continued his trade as a butcher. (Family knowledge)
In 1913 William arrived in Canada, but
he went to Early Grey in Saskatchewan.
In 1913 Jim went to Canada and shortly afterwards William
followed to become the fifth member of the family to emigrate there. He first
went to join Martin at Trochu and got himself a job there as an assistant
butcher. What happened next is not clear, but it seems that in about 1914 he
moved to Earl Grey in Saskatchewan, presumably to continue his trade as a
butcher. At some time, probably 1915, he joined the army and went to France.
His enlistment date is shown as 19 April 1916 at Regina, Saskatchewan.
William Farndale, emigrated to Canada
and lived at Last Mountain, Saskatchewan, lodger, butcher working on own
account with a shop
He is shown on the passenger list on the Victorian, a ship on
the Allan Line, departing 13 August 1913 from Liverpool to Quebec, a labourer,
aged 22.
He fought with the Canadian Army in
World War I, where he was wounded, and he died in 1918 and is buried in Earl
Grey. He was unmarried. (Our Huxley Heritage)
1916
1916 Canada Census – Manitoba, Saskatchewan
Military Service;
William Farndale, joined the Canadian Army on 19
April 1916 at Regina, Saskatchewan and went to France.
He was wounded in action at
Vimy Ridge on 13 December 1916 while serving with the 28th Battalion; he
had a gunshot wound in the right forearm and was in hospital in Epsom, England.
He was discharged from the Army at Calgary on 18 Feb 1918. He was awarded the
British War Medal and the Victory Medal. After his return to Regina, he used
his car to evacuate the sick during the great ‘flu epidemic of 1918. He caught
the ‘flu while still weak from his wound and died at Earl Grey, Saskatchewan,
Canada, aged 25 years on 23 Nov 1918. (Record of Service)
Ottawa Free Press, 19 December 1916: WOUNDED. … Pte W Farndale, England …
William Farndale with his arm in a sling.
Admission to
Hospital Record on 1 January 1917 – 18th General Hospital, Private
William Farndale, 104060. Radius RF Arm.
He was wounded in action at Vimy Ridge
on 13 December 1916, while serving with the 28th Battalion. All we know is that
he was hit in the arm by an explosive bullet. His medical records show:
"Loss of function, right arm ... penetrating gun shot wound at forearm
with compound commimuted fracture of radius ... bullet entered inner surface of
forearm, two inches below elbow, and passed directly through the arm, coming
out on the other side, and splintering the radius in its passage. Severe
inflammation of the arm followed, and inflammation, and sequestrum formed and
was removed. Had erysipilis while in hospital, 23rd CC Station, 24th General
Hospital (British) Etaples from 17 Jan to 23 April 1917, Reading War Hospital
from 23 April to 12 July 1917, MC Hospital Epsom, since 12 July 1917... wounds
all healed. The wound and exit wound shows the remains of a sinus from the
radius not discharging now. Has wrist drop, and is wearing a dorsiflexion
splint. Flexion and extension of elbow are greatly limited and pronation and
supination are absolutely stopped, in a position of partial supination. Is
otherwise normal. (date of report 27 July 1917)".
Alfred, his younger brother, remembers asking for leave to visit him in
hospital in Exeter, but since he was under orders himself for France, he was
not allowed to go. Indeed later William went on leave to Trochu and Tidkinhow and the family remember questioning
him about France and the fact that Alfred was, by then, in Ypres.
He wrote from hospital, almost certainly in 1917, to his sister Grace:
"Left hand of course
Jan 12
Dear Sister
I will try and write to you. I find I am doing fairly well but I have got a
very bad arm. I was hit with an explosive bullet which made a hole through two
inches wide and broke both bones. They give me very little hope of my arm being
any good but I hope it will not be so bad. I had an awful hard time in France.
I had four operations in two weeks. They could not get it stopped bleeding and
I got so weak that I could not feed myself. But I am alright now, but not able
to get up yet for two weeks or so. I may have to have another operation. Not
sure yet. Going to have my arm x-rayed shortly. I want you to write a letter
for me to Sister Armstrong, 23 CCS, BEF, France. Give her my address and tell
her I am getting along alright. This is not a very nice hospital, but good
doctors. If you send a parcel, send me a toothbrush and hairbrush. I expect I
will be here three months. I tried to get into Yorkshire so you could come and
see me, but this is as far as I could get. If my arm does not get better it is
likely I will get sent back to Canada in the Spring, but I will never see
France any more. I am awful sorry that Alf had to go. If ever he gets to France
I will want to go back again.
Your affectionate brother
W.F."
1918
We know that he returned to Earl Gray and that in the great flu epidemic of
1918 he drove patients to hospital, caught flu himself and died. The wording on
his memorial situated in Earl Gray is very indistinct. It says:
“Farndale. 28th. In Memory of Pte
Wm Farndale, 28th Batt. UEF. Died Nov 26th 1918, aged 25 years. Erected by his
fellow Comrades and the citizens of Earl Grey and district, in grateful
recognition of his services to King and Country.”
Actually the age is not quite right, since in November 1918 he would have been
aged 26.
William had been engaged to a girl in
Earl Grey at the time of his death. She wrote to some members of the family but
there was no trace of her since. William is remembered as different from the
rest of the family, but still with the same characteristics of responsibility
and reliability. His early death was tragic. We have his campaign medals
(British War Medal and Victory Medal) from the Great War.
William’s medals (embossed with his name and 28 Canadian Infantry).
William Farndale died on 26 November 1918.
Gravestone
“Farndale. 28th. In Memory of Pte Wm Farndale,
28th Batt. UEF. Died Nov 26th 1918, aged 25 years. Erected by his fellow
Comrades and the citizens of Earl Grey and district, in grateful recognition of
his services to King and Country.” (Mon
R)
January 1919: DEATHS. FARNDALE. On the 22nd
Nov, 1918, at Earl Grey, Saskatchewan, Canada, from influenza, William, fifth
son of Martin Farndale and the late Mrs CJ Farndale, Boosbeck, in Cleveland,
and brother-in-law of the late Mr George Barker, Tancred Grange, aged 27.
The gravestone of William Farndale at Earl Grey, Saskatchewan,
Canada. Born 29 January 1892.
And with thanks to Catherine Paterson who sent me the following
photographs in 2019:
The Veteran’s Tree Trunk Memorial in memory of William Farndale in
2019
William’s gravestone in 2022 after being restored by B & B
Gravestone Cleaning Services.