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Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Francis Douglas Farquhar

In memory of:

Lieutenant Colonel Francis Douglas Farquhar

March 21, 1915
St. Eloi, Belgium

Military Service


Age:

40

Force:

Army

Unit:

Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (Eastern Ontario Regt.)

Citation(s):

Mentioned in Despatches 14 April 1915 and 22 June 1915 in the London Gazette. Legion of Honour (Officer), Coronation Medal 1911, South Africa Medal (Queen's), General Service Medal (Africa), 1914-1915 Star, Victory Medal, British War Medal.

Honours and Awards:

Distinguished Service Order

Additional Information


Born:

September 1, 1874
England

Enlistment:

August 12, 1914
Ottawa, Ontario

Husband of Lady Evelyn Farquhar, Montague Place, London West, England and Rideau Cottage, Ottawa. Educated at Eton College, Windsor, England. LCol Farquhar spoke French, Somali and Chinese. He saw action in South Africa 1899-1900 and Somaliland 1903-1904

The province of British Columbia honoured Lieutenant Colonel Francis Douglas Farquhar by naming Mount Farquhar, located on the British Columbia/Alberta boundary, east side of upper Fording River, northeast of Fernie, Kootenay Land District, British Columbia.

Commemorated on the Royal Ottawa Golf Club War Memorial, The East Window and at Mount Farquhar.

Commemorated on Page 14 of the First World War Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. Download high resolution copy of this page.

Burial Information


Cemetery:
Grave Reference:

III. A. 6.

Location:

Voormezeele Enclosure No. 3 is located 4 kilometres south-west of Ieper town centre on the Ruusschaartstraat, a road leading from the Kemmelseweg (Connecting Ieper to Kemmel N331). From Ieper town centre the Kemmelseweg is reached via the Rijselsestraat, through the Lille Gate (Rijselpoort) and straight on towards Armentieres (N365). 900 metres after the crossroads is the right hand turning onto the Kemmelseweg (made prominent by a railway level crossing). Turn right onto the Kemmelseweg and follow this road to the first crossroads, turn left here into Ruusschaartstraat. The Cemetery is located 1 kilometre after this junction on the left hand side of the road just before Voormezeele Dorp.

Information courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Digital Collection

Send us your images

  • Newspaper Clipping– From the Toronto Star. Submitted for the project Operation: Picture Me
  • Newspaper Clipping– In memory of the men and women memorialized on the pages of the Winnipeg Evening Tribune during World War One. Submitted for the project, Operation: Picture Me
  • Circumstances of Death Registers– Circumstance of Casualty (front) recording that Lt. Col. Farquhar was "Killed in Action" in the vicinity of St. Eloi (Belgium). He was mortally wounded on 20 March 1915 and was buried on 21 March 1915. He is buried in Voormezeele Enclosure No. 3, south of Ypres, Belgium.
  • Document– War Diary for the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (P.P.C.L.I.) recording that Lt. Col. Farquhar was mortally wounded at 2:30 am under the date of 20.3.15. That means his actual date of death was 21 March 1915. He was buried the same day in the battalion cemetery at Voormezeele.
  • Document– Graves Registration Report Form (GRRF) recording the burial of of Lt. COl F. D. Farquhar in Plot 3 Row A Grave 6 of the Voormezeele Enclosure No. 3, south of Ypres, Belgium.

The CWGC reports: "The Voormizeele Enclosures (at one time there were a total of four, but now reduced to three) were originally regimental groups of graves, begun very early in the First World War and gradually increased until the village and the cemeteries were captured by the Germans after very heavy fighting on 29 April 1918. Voormezeele Enclosure No.3, the largest of these burial grounds, was begun by the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in February 1915. Their graves are in Plot III... "

Note that the CWGC now uses the original Belgian names, not the French names used during the war.
  • Document– Extract from the Service Record of Lt. Col. Francis Douglas Farquhar noting that he was "Mention in Despatches" in the London Gazette of 22-6- 1915. He was one of the original Canadian's entering the Great War, as it is noted that the unit left Southhampton (U.K.) on 20 December 1914.
  • Document– Details of the military service of Lt. Col. Francis Douglas Farquhar. He had served in the South Africa War (Boer War) with the British Coldstream Guards. He was a graduate of Eton College (Windsor, Berkshire, U.K.) and from his education and military service he spoke English, French, Somali and Chinese.
  • Document– Perhaps one of the last written documents of Lt. Col. Farquhar was his report of action near St. Eloi, Belgium on the night of March 14-15, 1915. The battalion marched from Dickebush to Vormezele (sic), where the Germans were advancing in large numbers. Their first task was an attack on the mound at St. Eloi. He reported that the attack failed to make progress against the heavy machine gun fire from the mound. Lt. Col. Farquhar was killed at the mound 5 days later.
  • Newspaper Clipping– Extract of the two pages of the London Gazette of 22 June 1915 which reports the Despatch of 5 April 1915 send on 31 May 1915 from Field Marshall French, Commanding-in-Chief, The British Army in the Field. (Reference Page: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29200/supplement/6011)
  • Photo of FRANCIS DOUGLAS FARQUHAR– Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me. From the Annie Boyes collection courtesy of the Simcoe County Archives. http://www.simcoe.ca/dpt/arc
  • Group Photo– Photograph of then Capt. Buller with Lieut. Col. F. D. Farquhar, D.S.O., officer commanding the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.  Capt. Buller was promoted to commanding officer upon the death of Lt. Col. Farquhar.
Source:  Canada in the Great War, Vol. II, Days of Preparation.
United Publishers of Canada Limited, Toronto.  View online at www.archives.org
The camp flag, shown in the photo, was the famous Ric-a-Dam-Do that was designed and sewn by Princess Patricia and blessed on the altar at St Bartholomew's before the Princess presented it to the PPCLI at Lansdowne Park, Ottawa, on 23 August 1914.
  • Reverse side of Group photo
  • Newspaper Clipping– Ottawa Journal (21 April 1915)
  • Newspaper Clipping– Star Phoenix (March 22, 1915)
  • Newspaper Clipping
  • Newspaper Clipping– Ottawa Journal (June 23, 1915)
  • Newspaper Clipping– Ottawa Journal (November 22, 1915)
  • Grave marker– 23 April 2019, CEFRG (Canadian Expeditionary Force Research Group) cefrg.ca
  • Newspaper clipping– From the London Free Press March 1915. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Star March 1915. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Telegram March 1915. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Telegram July 1915. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Brantford Expositor 1915. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Edmonton Morning Bulletin c.1915. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Edmonton Morning Bulletin c.1915. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Montreal Star c.1918. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From a World War 1 issue of the  Edmonton Journal c.1915. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Press Clipping– The following letter was printed in the gift book, With the First Contingent, and mentions Lieutenant-Colonel Francis D. Farquhar.  This book was published in 1915 by the Canadian Field Comforts Commission at Moore Barracks, Shorncliffe.  The book includes photos and letters sent from soldiers at the front lines back to the women working at the Commission and was published to raise funds for more comforts for the men.
  • Group photograph– Group photograph of officers of the PPCLI, taken prior to departure from Canada in 1914.  Lieutenant-Colonel Francis D. Farquhar is in the top (standing) row.  Appeared in the Winnipeg Evening Tribune, Saturday July 10, 1915.
  • Photo of Lt. Colonel F. D. Farquhar
  • Press Clipping
  • Photo of Francis Douglas Farquhar
  • Newspaper Clipping– Lieut.Colonel F.D. Farquhar's obituary.
  • Grave Marker
  • Photo of Francis Douglas Farquhar– Lieut.-Colonel F.D. Farquhar.
  • Newspaper Clipping (2)– This article mentions the grave of Lt.-Col. F. D. Farquhar.
  • Newspaper Clipping (3)– Clipping from the Toronto Star for 16 January 1915.
  • Gravemarker (2)
  • Photo of Francis Farrquhar– Source:  CANADA IN THE GREAT WORLD WAR.  Vol. II Days of Preparation.  United Publishers of Canada Limited, Toronto.
  • Photo of Francis Farquhar– Source:  CANADA IN THE GREAT WORLD WAR.  Vol. II Days of Preparation.  United Publishers of Canada Limited, Toronto.
  • Grave Marker– Grave markers
Left:  Lieut. Col. Farquhar
Right:  Lieut. Col. Herbert C. Buller who succeeded Farquhar as Commanding Officer was killed June 2, 1916.  
They are buried side by side.
Photo courtesy of Wilf Schofield, England
  • Royal Ottawa Golf Club plaque– The Royal Ottawa Golf Club erected a plaque honouring its former members who gave their lives for Their King and Country in the Great War.
  • Medal– Submitted for the project, Operation: Picture Me

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