Cyril Farrell, prior to enlisting worked as a Clerk and served in the 43 and 20 Battalions, for one year as a Senior Cadet. He enlisted on 30 May 1915 when he was 21 years old naming his mother, Mrs C. Farrell of Harold Street, Parramatta, as next of kin.
On 20 August, 1915, he embarked in Sydney on board of the HMAT “Shropshire” A9, with the 13 Infantry Battalion, 1-8 Reinforcement. Months later he joined the Battalion at Mudros on 23 October 1915 where he served for two months and then transferred from there to Alexandria on 2 January 1916. On 3 March 1916 he was promoted to Lance Corporal and transferred to 45 Battalion where he served for three months. On the 2 June 1916, he proceeded to join the B.E.F. in France. On 10 December 1916 he was promoted once more to Temporary Corporal and an “A” was added to his Regimental number as this was a duplicate. He maintained that rank for more than year and a half until he was promoted to Corporal on 24 August 1917. Not long after he was wounded in action, receiving a severe gunshot wound to the left foot. He was transferred to the 3 Australian Hospital at Dartford in England. He returned to Australia on 1 February 1918 on board of the HMAT “Balmoral Castle” arriving home on the 29 March 1918. He was discharged “medically unfit” on 30 April 1918.
Neera Sahni, Research Services Leader, City of Parramatta, Parramatta Heritage Centre 2018
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