Private Farr was one of 32,000 individual case files of Australian personnel reported as wounded of missing during the World War I.

His fate was sealed on April 25, 1915 when he was killed in action while serving in Gallipoli.

However for his family back in Australia including his mother Mary Ann Drummond, confirmation of his death would not come until nearly a year later, and the details of his final resting place and burial were never determined.

Mrs. Drummond, who came to live in Cessnock in the early 1920s, first received word that her son had been wounded in June 1915.

Over the next 10 months she would write countless letters to representatives of the Australian Imperial Forces, trying to determine the fate of her son.

Almost a year later she would find out that Private Farr had in fact been killed and his body, like thousands of other soldiers, was unaccounted for.

These letters remain in the possession of her grandson and Private Farr’s nephew, Kurri’s Col Maybury.

Col, a keen historian, has had an interest in his uncle’s involvement in the war for over two decades – so much so that he even made a film about it.

The script titled ‘A Mother’s Story of Gallipoli: her son was lost on that fatal first day’ tells the story of Mrs. Drummond and her years of pain and anguish in trying to determine the fate of her son.

Col recalled how his grandmother wore black until the day she died in mourning of her beloved son. 

He originally created the film to enter in an SBS competition in the early ‘90s after learning the remarkable and tragic circumstances surrounding his uncle’s death.

On Thursday, he and his wife Marcia travelled to Canberra where Private Farr’s name was projected onto the Hall of Memory as part of a Lone Pine memorial service for soldiers killed in World War I, but who have no grave.

He described the experience as being very “eerie”.

“To think that is has been a hundred years is just remarkable,” he said. 

“They say that the first casualty in war is truth and I think that is very accurate in this case.”

Private Farr’s name is featured on the 29th panel in the commemorative area at the Australian War Memorial, along with 102,000 Australian servicemen and women killed in conflict.

An excerpt from Col Maybury’s script ‘A Mother’s Story of Gallipoli’, featuring the first letter written by the late Mary Anne Drummond in search of more information on her lost son, Private Victor Emanuel Farr. 

On the 2 nd May 1915 the C.O. BATTALION B13 records that No 828 Private Farr V. 1st Battalion A.I.F. wounded Gallipoli 25/29-4-15.

On the 30th July 1915 Mary Ann Drummond, of Catherine Hill Bay, miner’s wife, mother of Victor Farr wrote:-

To the Officer in Charge

Military Base Records, Melbourne, 30th July 1915

Sir I am writing to you for information of my son Pte. V. Farr who was wounded at the Dardenelles. I received a wire from the Defence Department on the 15 June last telling me about him being wounded no news since I am very much worried about him. Will you please let me know where he is and how he is wounded by doing so you will greatly oblige.

Mary Drummond.

PS, my sons address is, pte V. Farr, D Company 1st Batt 1st Div. A.I.F. Egypt.

In response: Base Records’ Office, A.I.F.

Melbourne, 4th July, 1915.

Dear Madam,

In reply to your enquiry of the 30th ult., concerning your son, No. 828 Private V.E. Farr, 1st Battalion, I beg to inform you he is not reported as seriously wounded, and Egypt advises in the absence of further reports, it is to be assumed all wounded are progressing satisfactorily.

It is regretted that the nature of his wound and the hospital in which he is located are at present unknown.

Next-of-kin will be immediately notified upon receipt of any further information.

His postal address is as follows:-

No. 828

Private V. E. Farr

Wounded,

1st Battalion,

1st Infantry Brigade,

1st Australian 

Division,

Alexandria Egypt.

Yours faithfully,

Capt. Officer i/c Base records.

***

This is the first in a series of excerpts from Mary Ann Drummond’s story that The Advertiser will be featuring in the lead-up to Anzac Day.