Colour Serjeant Charles Bernard Farrell

Born in Warrington, Lancashire in 1890, Charles was the son of Michael and Elizabeth Farrell. He also had an older brother, Francis, plus two younger siblings, John and Amelia. Irishman Michael Farrell was serving as a sergeant drummer in the infantry when Charles was born, so he and his family were living in army barracks. By 1901 Michael had left the military and found work in the civil service. The Farrells now moved to 66 Dalyell Road, Brixton, sharing a house with two other families.

Charles followed in his father’s footsteps – he may have been in the army before the outbreak of war, as records refer to him as a Colour-Sergeant in the 2nd Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment. This was part of the regular army and its members were long serving professionals, skilled in marksmanship and highly disciplined. Also known as the Prince of Wales’ Volunteers, this unit was sent to France in August 1914 as part of the British Expeditionary Force.

Charles and his comrades took part in many key battles during the first years of war. The 2nd Battalion fought with distinction at the Battle of Mons on 23 August 1914, inflicting heavy casualties on the German infantry. They showed tremendous discipline even when forced to pull back, withdrawing “in perfect order as if on parade.” The battalion also helped to quash hopes of an early German victory at the Battle of the Marne in September 1914 and the subsequent Battle of the Aisne, which saw the start of true trench warfare.

The BEF was now transferred to Flanders and the 2nd Battalion took part in intense fighting, suffering heavy losses at La Bassee. Over 200 men were killed on 21st October alone but the regiment kept the British line intact. Charles would also have fought at the First Battle of Ypres (19 October – 22 November 1915) during which his unit withstood repeated attacks at Nonne-Boschen.

After a cold winter in the harsh conditions of the trenches, the 2nd Battalion was one of several regiments involved in the 2nd Battle of Ypres (22 April – 25 May 1915) which saw the ill-fated first use of poison gas. Charles would also have witnessed the horror of Bellewaarde, where his unit suffered heavy losses due to German machine gun fire.

Having survived some of the major battles of the war, Charles was wounded during the spring of 1916 and returned to England. He died at Edmonton Military Hospital, Enfield on 15 April 1916 and is buried at Streatham Park Cemetery, Rowan Road, Mitcham.