Name
Walter Ernest Farrow (*1)
1897
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
19/07/1916
18
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
4627
Hertfordshire Regiment
1st Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
LE TOURET MILITARY CEMETERY, RICHEBOURG-L'AVOUE
III. J. 13.
France
Headstone Inscription
FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH
UK & Other Memorials
Hemel Hempstead Town Memorial,
St Mary’s Church Memorial, Apsley End,
Hertfordshire Regimental Memorial, All Saints Church, Hertford,
Berkhamsted School Memorial,
We are not aware of any memorial in Nash Mills
Pre War
Walter Ernest Farrow was born in October 1897 at Nash Mills, Hemel Hempstead, the son and first child of Arthur and Leonora Farrow and baptised two years later at St Mary's Church, Apsley End, Hemel Hempstead. on 3 December 1899. He had one sister Doris Leanora who was born in 1903
The family lived at Weymouth Street, Apsley End when Walter was born and he was educated at Apsley Boys’ School from 1902, followed by Berkhamsted Grammar School which he left in 1913 at the age of sixteen to join the Civil Service.
On the 1911 Census the family were living at 82 Apsley End, Hemel Hempstead, where his father was working as an Engineer's Fitter at the Envelope Manufacturer (Paper Mill), and Walter was a schoolboy.
Prior to enlistment he was employed in the Civil Service and is listed in the Post Office memorial book as having been employed at the Central Telegraph Office, UK.
The family later lived at Hillcrest, Durrants Hill, Hemel Hempstead.
Wartime Service
Walter enlisted in Hertford in February 1915, joining the 1st Battalion, Hertfordshire Regiment. He was accepted, despite being some months short of his eighteenth birthday and too young to enlist. He was sent to Bury St Edmunds for basic training before being sent to France on 17 August 1915 and joined the Battalion at Beuvry a few days later, fighting in the Battle of Loos the following month.
The following year he fought in the Battle of the Somme in July and when the Battalion were situated in trenches near Festubert a party of 3 officers and 60 other ranks raided the enemy's trenches at 10.40 pm on 19 July. The part of the trench that was raided had been evacuated by the Germans and the party were there for only 10 minutes as arranged, but were bombed from the support line. No prisoners were taken but 3 men were killed, one missing and 15 wounded.
Walter was in the raiding party and was one of the men killed in action on 19 July 1916, aged 18. He is buried at Le Touret Military Cemetery, France, with his comrades, Lance Corporal James Gittings and Private Herbert Wooster who died the same day.
Additional Information
*1 belived to appears as W C Farrow on the church memorial.
His father, A R Farrow, Hillcrest, Durrants Hill, Hemel Hempstead, Herts., ordered his headstone inscription: "FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH".
Walter is mentioned in a very thorough biography for Jack Alfred Willmott by Paul Johnson, which appears in the website’s Archive section at: http://www.hertsatwar.co.uk/archives/hertfordshire-men-women-individuals-stories/jack-alfred-willmott-biography/
His mother received a war gratuity of £6 and pay owing of £2 10s. She also received a pension of 3 shillings a week.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
We believe Walter Ernest Farrow is listed as W C Farrow on the Apsley End memorial.
Jonty Wild, www.dacorumheritage.org.uk, www.hemelatwar.org., www.hemelheroes.com.
