Ernest Farrow was born in 1893, he lived with his parents Edwin (born in Brantingham), mother Sarah and elder sister Rose as near neighbours of the Binningtons. In 1911, Ernest was an apprentice joiner working for Mr. George Blanchard at Lund. He enlisted into the Royal Engineers at Doncaster in 1914. His parents had already lost a son aged 16 in 1898 and were to lose their second son at the Battle of Cambrai. Just 5 weeks before he had been home on leave. He is commemorated in Walkington Churchyard together with his brother with the following inscription: John Wilson Farrow son of Edwin and Sarah Farrow
25 January 1898 aged 16, Also Ernest Arthur Farrow RE, 4th son of Edwin and Sarah died at Cambrai 4th December 1917 aged 24, ‘Who died the noblest death a man can die for
Fighting for God and right and liberty’
The Royal Engineers(R.E.’s) are called ’ the Moles’ and their motto ‘Ubique’ means everywhere, a very suitable motto when we learn that from October 1916 the RE’s had been working underground constructing tunnels for the troops in preparation for the Battle of Arras, 1917. Beneath Arras it-self there is a vast network of caverns called coves, consisting of underground quarries and sewage tunnels. The engineers came up with a plan to add new tunnels to this network so the troops could arrive at the battlefield in secrecy and safety. The size of the excavations was immense. In one section alone 4 tunnels, companies of 500 men each worked round the clock in 18 hour shifts for 2 months.
Ernest Farrow would not have been employed in this tunnelling as this was done by the Royal Engineers with particular skills in this area (miners). However, his skills as a joiner could have been used in bridge building and in numerous jobs of the R. E. Companies.
The opening of the Battle of Cambrai on 20th November, 1917 used over one thousand guns and howitzers and over 400 tanks. Initial advances could not be sustained, Ernest Farrow as part of the 40th division was called up to the front on 22nd November, the roads were breaking up under the strain of thousands of men, wagons and lorries and it took them fifteen hours to travel nine miles. The ferocious battle continued as it began to snow. By 27th November orders were given to consolidate the position and three days later the German army struck back. Ernest Farrow died on 4th December, 1917.
He has no known grave and is recorded on the Cambrai Memorial to the Missing, Louveral,
France. His parents were to live into old age, Edwin dying in 1937, aged 86 and Sarah in 1941, aged 92 and his sister Rose Farrow was to follow in her father’s footsteps and keep the village shop until well into the 1950’s.
