Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Frederick Stanley Farren was the son of Frederick (1st AIF WW1) and Ellen Farren of Holmesdale South Australia. He had one sister, Kathleen (Kaye). After joining the RAAF in early WW2 Fred trained at Victor Harbor SA, then received further training in Western Australia before proceeding overseas to England. He worked his way through flight crew to become a pilot and achieved the rank of Flying Officer. He flew in RAF Bomber Command No.61 squadron out of Skellingthorpe, Lincolnshire operating the Avro Lancaster bomber. Fred married an English girl, Monica Dupont, in July 1944 at St Aloysius Church Oxfordshire. They were only married for 8 months as Fred was tragically killed together with his entire crew when his aircraft Lancaster ME-474 was struck by anti-aircraft fire on 7th March 1945 whilst returning from a bombing raid on Harburg, Germany. The aircraft plunged into the North sea off the coast of Holland. Later the bodies of Fred and his Flight Engineer William Mcmarth (RAF) were washed ashore and found by an American patrol. None of the other crew members or the aircraft were ever located. Fred is buried in the Nederwert War Cemetery in the Netherlands. He was a great heart felt loss to his family.

R.I.P.  Fred.