Emigrated to  New Zealand   and served in 6th Field Ambulance RAMC in Greece and Crete and was captured as a Prisoner of War at Sidi Rezegh. He became a builder in Masterton, near Auckland, New Zealand

 

 Ronald Martin Farndale

22 January 1919 to 3 July 1974

 

 The Wakefield 1 Line 

The New Zealand Line

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FAR00852

 

 

 

 

  

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Headlines of Ronald Farndale’s life are in brown.

Dates are in red.

Hyperlinks to other pages are in dark blue.

References and citations are in turquoise.

Context and local history are in purple.

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Follow this link to the Farndales of New Zealand

 

Wakefield

 

1919

Ronald Martin Farndale, son of Robert and Sarah Jane (nee Alcock) Farndale (FAR00606) was born in Stanley, Wakefield (census) on 22 January 1919 (DR, Letter, BR). His birth was registered in Wakefield District in the first quarter of 1919 (GRO Vol 9C Page 92).

1921

 

1921 CensusWakefield

 

Robert Farndale, 36, farmer, horseman on the Stanley District Council

Sarah Jane Farndale, 36

Robert Edwin Farndale, 8, born Stanley

Maurice Farndale, 6, born Stanley

Ada Farndale, 4, born Stanley

Ronald Martin Farndale, 2, born Stanley

 

Wellington, New Zealand

 

1936

Ronald emigrated to  New Zealand in 1936. On 30 April 1936 Ronald Farndale, 17, a farmer, departed from London for Wellington, New Zealand on the Ruahine of the New Zealand Shipping Company Limited. His last address was Bells Farm near Skipton.

Greece, Crete and North Africa

 

1941

Military Service

62013 Ronald M Farndale served in World War 2 in 6th  Field Ambulance RAMC in Greece and Crete. His military records showed that he was a farmer from Morrinsville, Waikato, New Zealand. 62013 Pte Ronald Martin Farndale of Mastamata, New Zealand, enlisted at Morrinsville, a farmer, his next of kin was Mrs S Farndale, Bells Farm, Thornton in Craven, Skipton, Yorkshire and he appeared on the nominal roll 1 April to 30 June 1941. He was part of infantry reinforcements and served with the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Ronald was in New Zealand prior to the war as he was farming near Waharoa and embarked from New Zealand.

He was almost certainly captured at Sidi Rezegh in 1941 and was a prisoner of war in Italy for the rest of the war (Letter).

1943

 

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The Weekly News, 16 June 1943: NEW ZEALANDERS REPATRIATED: PRISONERS OF WAR ARRIVE IN ENGLAND AFTER INTERNMENT IN ITALY. Left: the Bishop of Walaps, Right Reverend G V Gerard, senior chaplain with the New Zealand Expeditionary force before being taken prisoner, attends the Anzac day service in London. Right: Mr W G Jordan, High Commissioner visits the repatriated party. From left back row: J H Barr, Whakatane; C J Cousins, Ohai; W P Kane, Lyttelton; R M Farndale, Waharoa; P F Griffin, Invercargill; L W Jones, Palmerston; J M Malcolm, Auckland; F Milne, Masterton; Padre L Groves, Dunedin; front row: J McDermott, Wellington; M Muir, Dannevirke; Bishop Gerard, Napier; Mr W J Jordan, High Commissioner; Colonel W Foot; Brigadier R S Park; P W Purcell, Christchurch; A T Ryburn, Eltham; E J White, Otautau.

I have received further information from Geoff Muir in August 2019, who has researched his father’s (Maurice Muir) World War 2 history.

Maurice Muir NZ890 served with NZ 24th Battalion, and was captured at Sidi Rezegh on 1st December 1941. They were transported by German Ship from Tripoli to Naples, then to Capua PG66, on to Servigliano PG59, then to Chiavari PG52. Maurice Muir was transferred to Lucca Hospital PG202 in September of 42, and repatriated to the UK in April of 43 along  with  400 or so British and 14 other New Zealanders who had relatives in the UK. (Email Geoff Muir, 3 August 2019)

Ronald Farndale was with Maurice Muir, as can be seen in the photograph above.

There is evidence that they all were working in the New Zealand 6th Brigade Advanced dressing Station at Belhamed, near Sidi Rezegh, when they were captured by German forces, and they all stayed together until they were repatriated.

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4th and 6th New Zealand Field Ambulance at overnight camp, North Africa, 1 October 1942

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The Battle of Point 175 was a military engagement of the Western Desert Campaign that took place during Operation Crusader from 29 November to 1 December 1941, during the Second World War. Point 175 is a small rise just south of the Trigh Capuzzo, a desert track east of Sidi Rezegh and south of Zaafran. The point was held by Division z.b.V. Afrika (later the 90th Light Afrika Division). The 2nd New Zealand Division and Infantry tanks of the 1st Army Tank Brigade captured Point 175 on 23 November, early in Operation Crusader. The New Zealanders then attacked westwards and made contact with the Tobruk garrison, which had broken out to meet them. From 29 November to 1 December, the New Zealanders defended the point and the area to the west against Axis attempts to sever the link with the Tobruk garrison and regain control of the local roads. The new 132nd Armoured Division Ariete re-captured Point 175 late on 29 November. The defenders mistook Italian tanks and armoured cars for South African reinforcements led by armoured cars; 167 men of the 21st New Zealand Battalion were captured, the Italians apparently being just as surprised. The 6th New Zealand Brigade suffered many casualties around Point 175 and eventually retreated to Zaafran. The 2nd New Zealand Division returned to Egypt to refit, having suffered 4,620 casualties. When the division reassembled, it was sent to Syria to recuperate and was almost returned to Asia to participate in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater after the Japanese invasion of Malaya on 7/8 December 1941.

The 2nd New Zealand Division began Operation Crusader with 20,000 men, of whom 879 were killed or died of wounds, 1,699 men were wounded, 2,042 were taken prisoner (103 prisoners died from all causes), total casualties for the division being 4,620 men.

Ronald  Martin Farndale’s public WW2 record can be found here. His NOK is his mother Mrs. S. Farndale, Bells Farm, Thornton-in-Craven-Skipton, Yorks., England. https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/123761?n=farndale&ordinal=0&from=%2Fwar-memorial%2Fonline-cenotaph%2Fsearch

Ronald appears on a War Memorial which seems to have been to those who served in WW2, rather than a list of those killed in action.

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Ronald M Farndale, 24, then in the Army, departed from Liverpool on 19 June 1943 for Auckland, New Zealand on the Sydney Star of the Blue Star Line. His address was shown as c/o New Zealand Army HQ, 415 Strand, London WC2.

Masterton, New Zealand

He would have been returned to NZ by the Army after the war. He was repatriated to UK in 1943. But he must have been in New Zealand after the War as his family were born there.

He became a builder in Masterton, near Auckland, New Zealand. The nearest major city to Masterton is the capital Wellington.

1945

Ronald M Farndale, married Margaret Madge Maxted (born 1906) on 28 July 1945 in Auckland New Zealand (email from Robyn).

1946

Maxwell Farndale (FAR01006) was born on 21 May 1946 in New Zealand.

In the 1946 Electoral Roll, Ronald Martin Farndale, a carpenter, lived at 81a Hillsborough Road, Roskill, Auckland with his wife Margaret Madge Farndale.

1954

In the 1954 Electoral Roll, Ronald Martin Farndale, a carpenter, lived at 99 Banister Street, Hawkes Bay, Wellington.

1956

Margaret died of a brain tumour in 1956. She is buried at Archer Street Cemetery, where Ronald was later buried.

1959

Ronald Martin Farndale, married Doris Elaine Wilkin in 1959 in New Zealand.

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These pictures have kindly been provided by Robyn, their daughter.

1960

Bruce Matthew Farndale (FAR01102A) was born in 1960 (Email from Robyn)

1962

Wendy Jane Farndale (FAR01114A) was born in 1962 (Email from Robyn)

1963

1963 Electoral Roll – lived at 24A Fleet Street, Wairarapa, New Zealand, a carpenter with Doris Elaine Farndale

1965

James Roald Farndale (FAR01134A) was born and died on 8 December 1965 (Email from Robyn)

1967

Lynda Rose Farndale (FAR01127A) was born in or about 1967 and sadly passed away on 13 January 1967 in infancy (Email from Robyn)

1970

Donna Ruth Farndale (FAR01173A) was born in 1970 (Email from Robyn)

1972

Robyn Joye Farndale, born 1972 (FAR01191A) (Email from Robyn)

1972 Electoral Roll – lived at 24A Fleet Street, Wairarapa, New Zealand, a carpenter with Doris Elaine Farndale

His son Maxwell Farndale, a clerk, with Maxwell’s wife Gail Ann Farndale, lived at 3 Casel Street, Wairarapa.

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Ronald Farndale

1974

Ronald Martin Farndale, born 22 January 1919 died on 3 July 1974 at the age of 55 at Masterton District, Wellington. He is buried at Row 13 (ex servicemen), Archer Street Cemetery.

Inscription:

He is also commemorated on a public memorial in Waharoa District, Matamata County for his service during the Second World War: R M Farndale; 62103, 2nd NZEF, Pte; NZ Medical Corps; Died 3.7.1974

1980

 

Ronald’s widow, Doris Elaine, remarried Jack Cottle in about 1980 and Jack passed away in about 2014. Doris and Jack had no children.