Wing Commander William Hastings Farrow (30 March 1893 – 11 July 1946) was a British World War I

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

credited with 10 aerial victories. He would pursue a military career well into the 1920s before resigning in 1926. Like many World War I aces, he returned to the military for World War II, and was honoured by induction into the Order of the British Empire.

World War I

Farrow was serving as a corporal in the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

, when he was commissioned as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

on 3 June 1916. On 28 July 1916 he was appointed a flying officer on the General List of the RFC. On 27 December 1916, he scored his first aerial victory while posted to 47 Squadron, serving as part of the

British Salonika Army The British Salonika Army was a field army of the British Army during World War I. After the armistice in November 1918, it was disbanded, but component units became the newly formed Army of the Black Sea, and General Milne remained in command. Fi ...

on the

Macedonian front The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of German ...

. Scoring one of the few wins ever credited to an Armstrong Whitworth F.K.3, he and his observer teamed with another British aircrew to drive a German reconnaissance aircraft down out of control over Hudova. On 5 April 1917, Farrow was wounded in an engagement with an Albatros Scout. He also knocked down the Albatros, but received no credit for it. Farrow spent from 8 December 1917 until 11 January 1918 posted to 28 Training Squadron. He then transferred to 64 Squadron as a

Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5 The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 is a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. It was developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory by a team consisting of Henry Folland, John Kenworthy and Major Frank Goodden. It was one of the fast ...

a pilot. Beginning on 11 May 1918, he fought and beat nine German fighter planes in aerial combat. Farrow was appointed a temporary captain on 3 July 1918. By 5 September 1918, he had burned two German fighters, destroyed three, and driven four more down out of control. His valour won him the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), which was gazetted 2 November 1918:

Post World War I

On 21 April 1919, Farrow transferred to the unemployed list of the RAF. On 11 April 1921 Farrow returned to active list for temporary duty as a flying officer, being returned to the unemployed list on 5 June 1921. On 4 September 1923, he was granted probationary commission as a flying officer in the Class "A" Reserves of the RAF. On 4 March 1924, he was confirmed in rank as a

pilot officer Pilot officer (Plt Off officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countri ...

. On 4 September 1926, he surrendered his commission upon completion of service.

World War II

Farrow returned to serve in World War II; he was commissioned as a probationary flying officer in the

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) was established in 1936 to support the preparedness of the U.K. Royal Air Force in the event of another war. The Air Ministry intended it to form a supplement to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF ...

on 9 September 1939. On 22 December 1939, he was appointed as a

war substantive Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a m ...

flight lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...

. On 9 September 1940, he was confirmed in rank as a pilot officer. He was promoted from squadron leader to temporary

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

effective 1 September 1942. On 1 January 1943, Farrow was appointed an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

while serving at the Headquarters of RAF Far East.

Death

On 11 July 1946 Farrow and his Swiss-born wife,

Women's Auxiliary Air Force The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), whose members were referred to as WAAFs (), was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II. Established in 1939, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000 at its peak strength in 1943, with over 2 ...

section officer Rita Liliane Elsa Farrow (née Vallotton), were found dead in a room at the Hotel Park, on

Bayswater Road Bayswater Road is the main road running along the northern edge of Hyde Park in London. Originally part of the A40 road, it is now designated part of the A402 road. Route In the east, Bayswater Road originates at Marble Arch roadway at th ...

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

. A coronial inquest returned a verdict that Farrow, disturbed by marital and financial problems, had shot his wife and then committed suicide.

List of aerial victories

Endnotes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Farrow, William H. 1893 births 1946 suicides 1946 deaths Military personnel from London Royal Engineers soldiers Royal Flying Corps officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War I British World War I flying aces Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II Officers of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) English people of Australian descent Suicides in Westminster Murder–suicides in Europe Uxoricides British Army personnel of World War I Royal Air Force wing commanders Suicides by firearm in England English murderers