Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Leading Air Mechanic

Unit:

H.M.S. Vengeance (R71), Royal Navy

Awarded on:

August 26th, 1947

"At 12.41 on Thursday, I3th February, 1947, during air exercises in the Moray Firth, an aircraft whose pilot was undergoing initial deck landing training crashed into the port stanchion of Number One Barrier, in H.M.S. Vengeance. After the aircraft crashed and immediately caught fire Leading Air Mechanic Farenden was tending a hose on the flight deck on the forward (and windward) side of the aircraft. He went round to the after side, which was then in flame and smoke, and took over a hose, which had just been run out, from the Deck Landing Control Officer, who was organising the fire-fighting on this side of theaircraft! This hose was directed on to the port side of the cockpit and main tank. Farenden realising that it was important to shut the fuel cock, as it appeared that the fire was being fed from fuel running out of the main tank to broken connections at the back of the engines, leant into the cockpit but found that the flames prevented him from reaching the fuel cock. After directing the hose into the burning cockpit for a short time, he tried again and succeeded in reaching the fuel cock and shut it off. Having shut off the cock he climbed over the aircraft on to the starboard side of the cockpit, directed the hose into the cockpit and down the back of the pilot's seat on to the'forward side of the main tank. Subsequently it was found that the fuselage immediately to port of the main tank had been largely burnt away which indicated that there had been a very considerable actual risk to the main tank.

Farenden was dressed in flight deck overalls, balaclava and flight deck- helmet, and therefore not adequately equipped for close fire-fighting. His courage in deliberately going to the source of a petrol fire when he well realised the imminent danger of a conflagration, was of a very high order."