Leslie Brian Farmiloe b. 1915 d. 25 Dec 1994 Petersfield, Hampshire: Farmiloe one-name study
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Andrew Farmiloe October 2016

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    Leslie Brian Farmiloe[1, 2, 3]

    Male 1915 - 1994  (79 years)


    Personal Information    |    Sources    |    All    |    PDF

    • Name Leslie Brian Farmiloe 
      Born 1915  [1
      Gender Male 
      Military From Abt 1940 to 1945  [4
      was a Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery 
      • Leslie Farmiloe was awared the Military Cross.

        Iinformation about Royal Artillery
        Formed: 1716
        The first recorded use of cannon on the battlefield was by Edward III at the Battle of Crecy in 1346 during the Hundred Years' War. Up to the eighteenth century, artillery ‘traynes’ were raised by Royal Warrant for specific campaigns and disbanded again on their conclusion. This changed on 26 May 1716, when by the Royal Warrant of George I two regular companies of field artillery, each 100 men strong, were raised at Woolwich, leading to the title "Royal Artillery" (RA) which was first used in 1720.
        On 1 April 1722 these companies were expanded to four, and grouped with independent artillery companies in Gibraltar and Minorca to form the Royal Regiment of Artillery, commanded by Colonel Albert Bogard. In 1741 the Royal Military Academy formed in the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich (RWA). The regiment expanded rapidly and by 1757 there were 24 companies divided into two battalions, as well as a Cadet Company formed in 1741.
        During 1748 the Presidential Artilleries of Bengal, Madras and Bombay, India were formed and then in 1756 saw the creation of the Royal Irish Regiment of Artillery. The Regiment grew to 32 companies by 1771 organised into four battalions, as well as two Invalid Companies comprising older and unfit men employed in garrison duties. 1782 brought the move of the Royal Artillery to RA Barracks (front parade) on Woolwich Common.
        The Napoleonic Wars saw the need to provide fire-support for the cavalry so a formation of Horse Artillery was created in 1793 with two troops of Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) being raised, joined by two more in November 1793. The Royal Irish Artillery was absorbed into the Royal Artillery in 1801 to produce twelve RHA troops and a hundred RA companies in 10 battalions. Before 1825 batteries had been called after their commander's name this was to cease and RA batteries known by a number and RHA batteries a letter. During 1805 RWA moved to Woolwich Common for all RA and RE officers.
        The Crimean War saw the increase of the Royal Artillery to 199 batteries and in 1855 the abolition of the Board Ordnance, which had until then controlled the Royal Artillery. Thereafter the regiment came under the War Office along with the rest of the army. A School of Gunnery was established in Shoeburyness, Essex in 1859. In 1862 the regiment absorbed the artillery of the British East India Company – 21 horse batteries and 48 field batteries – which brought its strength up to 29 horse batteries, 73 field batteries and 88 heavy batteries.
        On 1 July 1899, the Royal Artillery was divided into three groups: the Royal Horse Artillery and Royal Field Artillery comprised one group, while the Coastal Defence, Mountain, Siege and Heavy artillery were split off into another group named the Royal Garrison Artillery. The third group continued to be titled simply Royal Artillery, and was responsible for ammunition storage and supply. The RFA and RHA both dressed as mounted soldiers, whereas the RGA dressed like foot soldiers. The First World War brought with it a massive expanse of the Royal Artillery By 1917 there were 1,769 batteries in over 400 brigades totalling 548,000 men.
        In 1920 the rank of Bombardier was instituted in the Royal Artillery. The three sections effectively functioned as separate corps. This arrangement lasted until 1924, when the three amalgamated once more to became one regiment. The Royal Horse Artillery, which has always had separate traditions, uniforms and insignia, still retains a separate identity within the regiment, however, and is considered, by its members at least, to be an élite.
        Before the Second World War, Royal Artillery recruits were required to be at least 5 feet 4 inches tall and men in mechanised units had to be at least 5 feet 8 inches tall. In 1938, the Royal Artillery Brigades were renamed Regiments. In the Second World War over a million men were serving in over 960 Gunner regiments. With the coming of peace the Gunners reduced to 250,000 men and 365 batteries in 106 regiments.
        At the beginning of 1939 the regular and TA strength of the Royal Artillery totalled about 105,000. In mid 1943 the RA reached its peak strength, some 700,000 strong (about 26% of total British Army strength and about the same size as the Royal Navy), including about 5% officers, in some 630 regiments, 65 training regiments and six officer cadet training units.
        These included 130 regiments converted from TA infantry and yeomanry often retaining their previous regimental title as part of their artillery unit designation as well as badges and other accoutrements. However, the strength of the field branch (including anti-tank) in mid 1943 was about 232,000. The Regiment suffered some 31,000 killed during the course of the war.
        Of the 630 or so regiments about 240 were field artillery, excluding about 60 anti-tank.
        At the end of the Second World War, the RA was larger than the Royal Navy. In 1947 the Riding Troop RHA was renamed The King's Troop RHA, and in 1951 the appointment of regiment’s Colonel-in-Chief became Captain General. Following the end of National Service and the Cold War, the Royal Artillery fell further to its lowest strength since the 1820s; 14 Regular and 7 Territorial Artillery Regiments.
        The Royal Artillery Prayer
        O Lord Jesus Christ,
        Who dost everywhere lead thy people in the way of righteousness,
        Vouchsafe so as to lead the Royal Regiment of Artillery,
        That wherever we serve, on land or sea or in the air,
        We may win the glory of doing thy will
        Amen
      correspondence 4 May 1943  [5
      wrote to The Times to express thanks to the British Red Cross 
      • See copy letter
      Occupation Mar 1963  [6
      selected to be the next Mayor of Westminster 
      Died 25 Dec 1994  Petersfield, Hampshire Find all individuals with events at this location  [7
      Inq. 2 Feb 1995  [8
      death was the subject of a Coroner's Inquest 
      • A WAR veteran died from injuries he suffered in the battle for Tobruk over half a century ago, an inquest was told yesterday. A verdict of death from "disease resulting from enemy action on active service" was recorded on Captain Leslie Farmiloe, MC, who died from cancer more than 50 years after asbestos fragments were blown into his body by an exploding shell.
        James Kenroy, the Portsmouth Coroner, said: "It seems hard to believe that the tentacles of death from the Second World War can still reach out over half a century as sadly has happened in the case of Mr Farmiloe."
        Dr Richard Nainby-Luxmoore, a family friend, said that Captain Farmiloe had been with the 25th Light Royal Artillery when Rommel's tanks attacked.
        Captain Farmiloe, the only occupant of the gun emplacement to survive, was invalided out of the Army in 1945. He was Lord Mayor of Westminster in 1963 and 1964, and a director of his family's paint and glass firm until 1973. He lived in France until his health deteriorated last year.
        Captain Farmiloe was 79 when he died from a malignant mesothelioma on Christmas Day last year. At the inquest, the coroner said that the asbestos which caused the disease had entered his body when a German shell exploded in his gunnery pit in 1942.
        Copyright News International Newspapers Ltd. Feb 3, 1995
      _UID A5ECFD31EE63A443BB23B29C3A8B4E96CC63 
      Person ID I859  Farmiloe
      Last Modified 17 Dec 2011 

      Father Harold Farmiloe,   b. 5 Dec 1872,   d. Yes, date unknown 
      Mother Sophie Louise Alexandre Una Ritter-Weddle 
      Family ID F196  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

      Family Hazel Douglas-Smith,   b. Abt 1920,   d. 1 Feb 2012, Portsmouth, Hampshire Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 92 years) 
      Married Y  [1, 7
      Children 
       1. J. Farmiloe
       2. G.M. Farmiloe
      Last Modified 31 Mar 2016 
      Family ID F313  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    • Sources 
      1. [S57] Family Tree #1.

      2. [S2] GEDCOM file imported on 25 Dec 2003.

      3. [S1] GEDCOM file imported on 4 January 2012.

      4. [S262] Forces War Records (Military Genealogy) (Reliability: 2).

      5. [S61] Times, the, 7 May 1943 (Reliability: 3).
        via galegroup.com

      6. [S61] Times, the, 8 March 1963 (Reliability: 2).
        via galegroup.com

      7. [S54] Author's personal knowledge.

      8. [S61] Times, the, 3 February 1995 (Reliability: 2).
        via
        proquest.com