Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Private

Unit:

The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's)

Awarded on:

May 12th, 1942

Recommendation:
"Private Farrell was captured with his unit at St. Valery-sur-Somme on 12th June, and marched to Rouen, Bethune, Seclin and Renais en route for Germany. On the 28th June he escaped near Renaix together with two others, by running into a cornfield. They were able to het civilian clothes, food, and a small map from a farm, and made their way to Waterloo, where they decided it was too dangerous to go further together, and split up, Private Farrell making his way to Doullens, France and went on foot to Amiens, where he swam the canal at night, and continued trough Paris to Blere, where he crossed the Line of Demarcation by swimming the river, and was given a night's shelter at a small farm house. He continued the next morning and on reaching Clere he was given food and 500 frs. by a farmer who directed him to Chateauroux from where he went by train to Lyons. Here he visited the U.S. Consulate who sent him along with 23 others to Marseilles, where he was arrested and interned in Fort St. Jean. - The inmates of Fort St. Jean were all transferred to St. Hippolyte early in January, 1941, and while there Private Farrell made three unsuccesful attempts to escape. On the 1st September he got out of St. Hippolyte for the fourth time together with another soldier, and went to a small house near Nimes, the address of which they had been given in the camp. From this house they were taken by a guide to Nimes, where they caught a train to Perpignan and Canet Plage, after eight days there, they returned to Nimes and went by bus to Prats de Mollo, where a Spanish guide too them up the Pyrenees until within sight of Spain. They had no maps but following the signposts they were able to make their way to Barcelona, feeding on fruit on the way, and reporting to the British Embassy on the 18th September. They were take by a car to Madridm and thence to Gibraltar from where Private Farrell left for this country on the 30th December, 1941."

LG 35556/2072