Yesterday, Islanders Fred de la Perrelle (76) and Marion Rossler (75) left Jersey for St Malo on the first part of their journey to Boulogne, in northern France, to lay a wreath at the grave of their grandfather, Sgt Frederick Charles Farmer.
- Sgt Frederick Charles Farmer of the East Surrey regiment left Jersey at the beginning of August 1914.
- During his five months on the frontlines he was stationed at Neuve Eglise in north western France.
- His diary gives explicit accounts of his part in the war including three near misses he experienced.
- His last entry was made on 11th January 1915 – ten days after his new baby, Violet Aisne, was born.
- There are no records about what happened to Sgt Farmer after that time, apart from his wounding and transfer to Boulogne Hospital, where he died on Valentine’s Day 1915.
In early February 1915 30-year-old Sgt Farmer was shot by a sniper and then transferred to Boulogne Hospital, where he died from his wounds on Valentine’s Day.
His wife, Emma, who was still coming to terms with the loss of her brother on the Titanic in 1912, died of a broken heart just under a year later, leaving three young daughters. One of the girls, who was also named Emma, was the mother of Mr de la Perrelle and Mrs Rossler.
As an adult, Emma de la Perrelle tried to find the whereabouts of her father’s grave. She eventually received word of its location from the Royal British Legion, but was too ill to make the journey at the time and never managed to visit the site.
But now, a century after Sgt Farmer’s death, Emma’s children are making the trip to honour the memory of both their mother and their heroic grandfather.
Mrs Rossler said that she and her brother began planning the trip after reading their grandfather’s notebook for the first time during last summer’s centenary of the start of the First World War.
Mrs Rossler said that she would be taking a special item of her mother’s with her, so that Emma can symbolically accompany her children on their journey.
‘I’m taking her hymn book with me, which I remember her holding so, so well when we were in church as children,’ Mrs Rossler said. ‘It’s going to be a quite emotional visit – she would be thrilled to bits to know we managed to visit.’
Mrs Rossler and Mr de la Perrelle hope that the pilgrimage will help to ensure that the memory of their grandfather lives on.
She added: ‘Sergeant Frederick Charles Farmer now has four great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren. My brother and I will ensure that he will also never be forgotten as they grow up to appreciate what he did for them all those years ago.’
The siblings will reach their grandfather’s final resting place, Boulogne East Cemetery, at midday tomorrow to lay the wreath.
- When Frederick left Jersey for England to join the 1st East Surrey Regiment his wife, Emma Ryan, was four months pregnant with their third child .
- At that time, Emma was still trying to come to terms with the loss of her brother, Thomas Ryan, two years before in 1912. He had accepted a post on the ill-fated Titanic as a steward.
- Ten days before Frederck died, in 1915, aged 30, his new baby, Violet Aisne, was born. He also left behind two other daughters, Emma Alice Victoria, born in 1910, and Gladys Mary, born in 1912.
- Just 11 months later, in January 1916, widow Emma also died, aged 28, leaving Emma (4), Gladys (2) and Violet (1) with no parents. [figure title=”7212070″ align=”none” url=”/?attachment_id=1135457″ id=”1135457″ size=”25″] [/breakout]
- BACK in November, the moving sight of hundreds of thousands of ceramic poppies filling the moat of the Tower of London attracted attention from across the world and the project was all been put together by a former Islander.
- The art installation project, Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, marked the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War and attracted thousands of visitors, including members of the Royal Family.
- Michael Day, the former director of the Jersey Heritage Trust, has been the chief executive of Historic Royal Palaces since he left Jersey in 2003 and as a result was responsible for overseeing the project.
- The aim of the initiative was that by Armistice Day on 11 November there were 888,246 ceramic poppies in the moat one for each of the British and colonial soldiers, sailors and airmen who lost their lives in the First World War.
- The public could buy the poppies for £25 each and the profits due to be in excess of £15 million are being split between a number of service charities.
- Mr Day (61) is responsible for leading a charitable organisation that looks after six of the most prestigious royal sites in the UK and during his time in the role he has been involved in a number of major projects and events, including the quincentenary of the birth of Henry VIII, the refurbishment of Kensington Palace, which is the home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Queens Diamond Jubilee in 2012, which involved the re-presentation of the Crown Jewels, and the London 2012 Olympics, during which Hampton Court Palace hosted some of the sports events and medals were stored in the vault at the Tower of London.
The story of Sgt Frederick James Farmer was featured in the Jersey Museum’s First World War exhibition
Below is the text that Marion Rossler read for a video in the exhibition:
It has been estimated that about 360,000 children in the United Kingdom, lost their fathers during the Great War and many more, lost a brother. With their men folk away, more mothers were forced to go out to work in order to make ends meet, which meant older children, especially the girls, were called on to look after younger brothers and sisters and effectively take over the running of the home. In other cases, children left school early as they needed to find work so that they could help with the family finances. Consequently, many felt that they had missed out on both their childhood and their education.
My mother Emma’s story and that of her sisters, my Aunts Gladys and Violet was different. Emma Alice Victoria was born in 1910, Gladys Mary in 1912 and Violet Aisne in 1915. The Great War began in the Summer of 1914. As a result, by the time Emma was 4, Gladys was 2 and Violet was just a year old, they had lost both their parents. Their father, Sergeant Frederick Charles Farmer was 30 when he died and Emma Ryan, his wife, was just 28.
They were a happy young family with lots of love to give, but were torn apart by a father’s loyalty for his country and the need to fight for the freedom we enjoy today. May we never forget the ultimate sacrifice that was made by these brave young men who left everything behind that was most dear to them and never returned.
Emma Ryan, Frederick’s wife, my grandmother, was four months pregnant with their third child when Frederick, my grandfather, left Jersey for England to join the 1st East Surrey Regiment and whose men saw terrible action on the front line. Emma Ryan was, at that time, still trying to come to terms with the loss of her brother Thomas Ryan 2 years before in 1912, who had accepted a post on the ill fated Titanic as a steward. His body was never identified and his loss left an inconsolable gap in her life.
When it was time for Frederick to leave his home at La Chasse in St Helier, for his journey on the S.S. Caesarea to Southampton via Guernsey, at the beginning of August 1914, his two little girls would have been too young to realise that their adored father might never come back. As they parted, Emma, their mother, was only too aware of the awful possibilities that could ensue.
Frederick’s diary gives explicit accounts of his part in the war and the three ‘near misses’ he experienced. His last entry was made on 11th January 1915, 10 days after his new baby, Violet Aisne arrived. He had sent a letter to his wife, and enclosed a charm, which had been given to him ‘by a young girl’ for the new baby. He was billeted at NEUVE EGLISE.
His last entry read ‘ Returned and entered billet in village in the afternoon. Same billet as before. The people in the house had been told I had been killed and were very much upset, so imagine their surprise when I walked in alive and perfectly well. They were simply delighted.’
Then, nothing. The remaining pages are blank. I can only assume what happened between 12 January and 14th February, St Valentine’s Day, 1915. A wounding, a transfer to hospital and a death.
The news reached La Chasse and not only were the lives of his young wife and children in Jersey shattered, but also those of his family in London. I know that the ripples have extended throughout the following generations, as we still feel that we have missed out on knowing two very special people, leaving a large gap in our lives, despite the years which have passed..
Emma Ryan found it impossible to cope with her situation which resulted in her health being seriously affected, until on 17th January 1916, she passed away due to, as I have always been told, a broken heart.
The Ryan family here on the Island did their best to take over the responsibility of the bringing up of young Emma, Gladys and Violet, but those who tried, in particular their Aunt Mary Manning who had children of her own to care for, had to admit that it was impossible. The Farmer family in London suggested the girls would be best served by going to live with them in London, but unfortunately, the Island authorities decided that they should be placed at the Female Orphanage, where they would live and be educated at the nearby Grouville School. I recall my mother, who rarely spoke of her unhappy time there, telling me that this was not just a home for orphans, but for illegitimate children as well as those from broken homes. Emma, Gladys and Violet were neither of the latter. They rarely saw each other and always felt they would have been better off in London where they would have been, to a degree, all together. Their grandfather’s plan was that one each would go to each of his surviving sons, Joe, Frank and Harry, but because of this split, his request was rejected.
Emma spent 11 years at the home, which was little more than an Institution, where , as soon as they were able, the children were made to work. Money sent by their grandfather, Joseph John Farmer, V.C. was never passed on to them. At the age of 16, in 1926, Emma left Jersey for London; her two young sisters having to remain until they reached the age of 16. In due course, they too followed her to the family in London.
Emma went into service. She was employed by Sir James and Lady Grant who lived in a grand house in Eaton Square. They also had a house in Nairn, Scotland, called Househill to where the whole household would move for the ‘season’. Although the work was demanding, her employers were caring and she had happy memories of her time with them. As my brother and I grew up, she often told us stories of the people she met and the good times they enjoyed ‘below stairs’. High standards were required of the staff and these high standards remained with her always in the eventual running of her own home.
While she was at the Orphanage, she was befriended by a very special lady who would visit a little girl who was related, but who was illegitimate – in those days, it was a sin to have a child out of wedlock. Shortly after her grandfather passed away in 1930 – he was buried in Hero’s Corner in Brompton Cemetery in London, with full military honours – she returned to Jersey and was again befriended by the special visitor to the Orphanage. Her daughters became her best friends and they all attended Aquila Road Methodist Church together. Emma became a Sunday School teacher and it was through this that she met Reginald de la Perrelle, also a Sunday School teacher. They were married on 15th August 1935 at Aquila Road and the family from London attended. Her Uncle Joe, the eldest of her father’s three brothers, gave her away and her two sisters were bridesmaids, as well as Reg’s little niece Sheila de la Perrelle who was little more than a tot..
In 1938, my brother Frederick Reginald was born. She never forgot her lost father and wanted his name to live on through her son. The Second World War broke out in September 1939 and I was born two months later. The family were due to evacuate to Budleigh Salterton in Devon, to stay with Colonel and Mrs Davidson who had lived at No.1 Rouge Bouillon and had employed Emma on her return to Jersey from London. Mrs Davidson was my Godmother.
Unfortunately – or not – as the case may have been, my brother was taken ill just before we were due to leave and our doctor didn’t think he would survive the journey, so we stayed. Our parents were among the true heroes of that conflict.
We lived in Kingsley Avenue, which my parents bought on a States loan when they were married and where I was born, with District Nurse Robinson in attendance. They never moved from there. The church continued to be very much a part of their lives and my mother never lost her faith.
My father died in October 1983 and my mother passed away 12 years later, in 1995, nine days short of her 85th birthday. She led a full, active life, with her main interest being the welfare and happiness of her family. She was a giver and I am convinced that she was blessed with healing powers. I was not the only one who had been aware of her gift.
Gladys remained in London after her ‘release’ from the Orphanage, She also went into service – for a Mrs Cazalet – who took her under her wing at her home in Christchurch, Hampshire. But the call of London and the family beckoned once again, so she returned this time to train as a telephonist. She was the most proficient I have ever witnessed with switchboards spilling out wires from all angles. And she was quick too. She also placed comfort high on her list of priorities and always made sure her telephone rooms were well stocked with tea, coffee, home made cakes and above all comfortable furniture. She welcomed all comers and still continued her work at the same time as entertaining her worktime visitors! During the war, she cycled to and from Fulham, where she lived with Uncle Joe’s family, avoiding bombs as necessary. She was quite fearless. Later, she decided to buy her own home. Something unheard of for a young woman to contemplate on her own in those days, but Gladys wasn’t going to wait around for a man to come along and do it for her. So, despite family concern, she bought a house in Queensmill Road, Fulham, two or three streets away from Larnach Road , where she had lived with Uncle Joe and Aunty Min. After the passing of my grandfather, their home in Larnach Road became the ‘family seat’.
She decided that a good idea would be to have a dog for company in her newly acquired home, and this dog travelled everywhere with her in the basket attached to the handlebars of her bicycle – someone else to appreciate the comfort of the telephone room, because he accompanied her to work too.
Gladys, at the age of 40, married John Carri in 1952. There were no children and they both lived happily at Queensmill Road until John died in 1984. Although Gladys was an ace at cycling around London, she never learned to drive; in fact, not one of the girls did. But she was the best navigator ever. She knew every nook and cranny of the city and exactly which lane to get into well before the manoeuvre had to take place. Sadly Gladys was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and moved to a residential home, Galsworthy House overlooking Richmond Park, where she died in 1995, shortly before her sister Emma passed away in Jersey. The three girls’ husbands died in the early eighties within a period 13 months of each other.
Violet also went to join the family in London when she was 16, where she trained as a silver service waitress. She was employed by a catering company who regularly sent their staff to serve at Buckingham Palace, but did return to Jersey where she met Harold George (Tom) Frigot. They were married and their son Kenneth George was born in 1937. Their daughter Elaine Marion was born in 1942 in London, where Violet and Kenneth had been evacuated while Tom was serving in the forces.. When Elaine was about 18 months old, Violet took the children to the North of England, which she felt was safer. After the war, and when Tom was demobbed, the family moved back to Jersey. Violet resumed her witnessing career and one of her jobs was at Gaudin’s, where little girls and boys who were especially good, were allowed to sit at a table in the window and watch all the shoppers go by underneath them. Those cream cakes, neatly placed on tiered plates was something to dream about.
Kenneth completed his education, then moved to London and stayed with Gladys in Queensmill Road, before emigrating to New Zealand in 1956. The family went back to London not long afterwards and by 1959, Kenneth had persuaded his parents to join him in New Zealand, so Tom, Violet and Ken’s sister Elaine packed up their home in London and headed south. Tragically, within a week of their arrival in Dunedin, Kenneth was involved in a motor cycle accident and died a week later as a result of his injuries. Another devastating blow for the family and one from which his mother never recovered.
After retiring, Violet and Tom returned to the U.K. in 1980, to be nearer home, but sadly, just 2 years later, Tom was diagnosed with lung cancer. Tom never realised his dearest wish to die in Jersey, and passed away in England in the summer of 1983. In time, Violet, however did return and died here on 11th July 2005, the 46th anniversary of Ken’s death. She was 5 months away from her 90th birthday.
All three girls led full lives and each one, in their own very special way, was a survivor.
Let me just quote from what Nelson Mandela once said: “To be free, is not to merely cast off chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others” Great words, if only they could be put into practice, then perhaps wars would not happen and families would not be destroyed. Buildings can be re-built, but a life is gone for ever.
