Biography – Gunner Edwin Farrington

Biography – Edwin Farrington
Died 1st April 1945. Age 27

Family situation
Edwin was born on 10th March 1918 in Audley to Thomas and Margaret Farrington and had 3 siblings. After the death of his mother in 1930, his father re-married and the family moved
to Cherry Tree Cottage Balterley, the house owned by his stepmother, Annie Maydew.

Service

Edwin enlisted in the Royal Artillery in 1940 and served as a wireless operator, seeing action in North Africa in the 8 th Army in 1942. He was captured on 6 June 1942 and transported as a prisoner of war to Italy. He was held in various holding camps and then at PG 65 at Cressina, Bari (also known as Gravina Altamura).

In August 1943, he was transferred by the Germans to Stalag VIIIB in Lamsdorf (now in Poland) and was allocated to various work camps.

In January 1945, the Germans evacuated the prisoner of war camps and forced the prisoners (including Edwin) to march hundreds of miles in the winter conditions. Edwin died on this “Long March” and was temporarily buried at Gefrees where there was a German field hospital.

Buried

After the war ended, his body was transferred to Durnbach War Cemetery in Bavaria.

Updated by Anne Byrne, niece, February 2022

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Certificate