BORN HULL 28/06/1881. BAPTISED AT ST CHARLES BORROMEO, ON 10TH JULY 1881.
SON OF THOMAS FREDERICK FARRELL (1849-1930) & MARY MONICA COLLINGWOOD (1861-1954), AT 1, BROOKSIDE, NEWLAND PARK, HULL. ONE OF FOUR SONS. HIS FATHER WAS REGISTRAR AT THE HULL COUNTY COURT.
HE WAS EDUCATED AT USHAW AND HYMERS COLLEGE, HULL. BECAME AN ARTICLED CLERK, AT ROLLITT AND SONS SOLICITORS, IN HULL. HE PASSED THE LAW SOCIETY’S FINAL EXAMS, WITH HONOURS, IN 1904, AFTER WHICH HE PRACTICED AS A SOLICITOR.
HE OBTAINED A COMMISSION IN THE 1/4TH EYR TERRITORIALS ON 07/02/1900. WAS PROMOTED LIEUTENANT ON 19/06/1901. BECAME CAPTAIN, ON 24/11/1907. HE WAS AN EFFICEINT AND CAPABLE OFFICER, POPULAR WITH ALL RANKS.
HE ARRIVED WITH THE BRITISH EXPEDITIONARY FORCE, IN FRANCE, ON 18/04/1915. AFTER THE GERMAN GAS ATTACK AT LANGEMARK ON 22/04/1915, HIS REGIMENT WAS ‘BUSED’ TO THE FRONT TO PLUG THE GAP, AT THE WEST BANK OF THE YSER CANAL, NORTH OF YPRES. HE WAS KILLED IN ACTION DURING THE FIRST COUNTER ATTACK, ON THE 24/04/1915, AGED 33, WHILE SEEING THAT HIS MEN WERE TAKING PROPER COVER. HIS COMMANDING OFFICER SAID THAT BEDE WAS A SPLENDID SOLDIER AND THE WHOLE REGIMENT FELT HIS LOSS.
UNMARRIED. HE LEFT £1,009, IN HIS WILL TO HIS FATHER. HIS BODY WAS NEVER RECOVERED, AND HE IS COMMEMORATED ON THE YPRES MENIN GATE MEMORIAL, BELGIUM. HE IS RECORDED IN THE DE RUGVIGNY ROLL OF HONOUR, WITH HIS PHOTOGRAPH. *
HIS NAME IS LISTED ON ST CHARLES CHURCH BORROMEO CHURCH ROLL OF HONOUR, JARRATT STREET, HULL AND ON HULL’S HYMER COLLEGE WW1 MEMORIAL. HIS YOUNGER BROTHER, LIEUTENANT, ADRIAN FARRELL, 1/4TH EYR, WOUNDED IN THE SAME ACTION, DIED OF WOUNDS ON, 23/08/1916, AGED 24.
The 1/4th East Yorkshires were part of the Northumbrian Division and became part of Central Force in Home Defence, tasked with manning the Tyne Defences, so after some days digging trenches in South Holderness 4th East Yorkshires moved to Hummersknott Park, near Darlington to join the York & Durham Brigade. In mid-October it moved again, to Newcastle upon Tyne. While working on the Tyne Defences, the Northumbrian Division was also undergoing battle training. In April 1915 it was warned for overseas service with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), and on 16 April its units began to entrain for the embarkation ports. The 1/4th East Yorkshires landed at Boulogne the following day. The Northumbrian Division completed its concentration in the Steenvoorde area on 23 April 1915, and went into action the very next day during the Second Battle of Ypres. The York and Durham Brigade went by motor bus to Poperinghe, where they debussed and marched to camp at Vlamertinghe. They were turned out at 01.00 on 24 April and marched to take over trenches astride the Yser Canal, where they came under shellfire at first light, 1/4th East Yorkshires losing their first casualties of the war. During the morning the battalion was shifted again, to a position near Potijze Château, where they dug in again. Meanwhile, the Canadian Division were coming under heavy pressure (the beginning of the Battle of St Julien). Finally, at 15.00 the tired battalion was ordered out to support a counter-attack by the Canadians and the 1/4th Green Howards of the York & Durham Bde (the Canadians were not informed of these two battalions’ involvement). The battalion moved up into a small wood and waited alongside the Canadian artillery under shellfire while the attack developed. Shortly after 17.00 the battalion was ordered to attack towards St Julien and advanced in ‘artillery formation’, with two platoons of D Company in front, led by Lt-Col Shaw. On reaching Bridge House the battalion swung north towards St Julien; it now came under heavy rifle and machine gun fire and was swept by Shrapnel shells and heavy howitzer shells. Eye-witnesses described the tired and hungry battalion behaving ‘as if they were doing an attack practice in peace’. At 950 yards (870 m) and again at 500 yards (460 m) the men opened rifle fire on the enemy, with little apparent effect. Coming upon a road the battalion could advance no further against the hostile fire, and took cover. Lieutenant-Colonel Shaw had been killed by a rifle bullet during the advance, and the CO of the Green Howards took over both battalions. The East Yorkshires were ordered to stay where they were until nightfall; they saw no sign of the Canadians who were supposed to be in St Julien, but their rifle fire combined with the Canadian artillery broke up a German attack from the village, and neither side held it at the end of the day. The 1/4th East Yorkshires was permitted to withdraw after dark; in its first action the battalion had lost three officers and 12 other ranks killed, 66 wounded and 17 missing, of whom 10 were known to be wounded.
