Private Michael Farrell, copy from Parramatta Soldiers, Cumberland Argus, 1920
Private Michael Farrell was the brother of John and Daniel Dominic Farrell who also served in the First World War. Michael was employed as a bridge labourer by the Queensland Railway Department in Mackay at the time of his enlistment, but his brother and sister lived in Mechan Street Granville, NSW. Michael was 30 years old when embarked at Brisbane on the HMAT Kyarra A55 on the 31 January 1916.
On the 9 November 1916 Michael was injured through a gunshot wound in Camiers, France and was transferred to the 1 London General Hospital in England, but by the 16 December he was discharged and marched out to Perham Downs. In March 1917 he returned to France and in April rejoined the 26 Battalion. On the 5 May he recieved another gunshot wound and was admitted to the 10 General Hospital in Rouen, France. By 9 June he had rejoined his Battalion in France and a week later he was detached to the 5 Army Sniping School. On the 23 June he rejoined his unit.
Michael Farrell was killed in action on the 29 October 1917 in Belgium, and buried in the Ypres Reservoir North Cemetery, Belgium.
Caroline Finlay, Research Facilitator, City of Parramatta, Parramatta Heritage Centre, 2017
References
The biographical information has been researched and compiled from the following resources:
- Australian War Memorial – https://www.awm.gov.au/
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission – http://www.cwgc.org/
- National Archives of Australia – http://www.naa.gov.au/
- National Library of Australia Trove Digitised Newspapers Database – http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper
- Parramatta and District soldiers who fought in the great war, 1914-1919. (1920). Parramatta, N.S.W. : The Cumberland Argus Ltd. – https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9iAn5sxT0i8ZHgyZjR2UHRxVUU/edit
- The National Archives (UK) – http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
- University of New South Wales Canberra The AIF Project – https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/index.html