Tom Farrage (footballer)

Thomas Oysten Farrage (3 November 1917 – 23 September 1944) was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League for Birmingham.[3] He was killed in action during the Second World War.

Tom Farrage
Personal information
Full name Thomas Oysten Farrage[1]
Date of birth (1917-11-03)3 November 1917[2]
Place of birth Chopwell, County Durham, England
Date of death 23 September 1944(1944-09-23) (aged 26)
Place of death Arnhem, German-occupied Netherlands
Position(s) Outside left
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Walker Celtic
1937–1944 Birmingham[lower-alpha 1] 10 (3)
Military career
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service–1944
RankPrivate
Service number138613[1]
Unit10th Battalion, Parachute Regiment
Battles/warsSecond World War
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Life and career

Farrage was born in Chopwell, near Rowlands Gill, which was then in County Durham,[5] to Robert and Isabella Farrage.[1] He began his football career with Walker Celtic in the North Eastern League, and joined First Division club Birmingham in November 1937. Described as a "promising young player with an eye for goal",[5] Farrage made his debut on 7 September 1938 in a 2–1 win at home to Leicester City, and kept his place for five of the next six games, in which he scored twice. He played once more that season,[4] and in the opening three games of the 1939–40 season which was abandoned because of the Second World War.[6]

He made guest appearances for Leeds United, Luton Town and Middlesbrough in the wartime leagues, though he did not play again for Birmingham.[7]

Farrage was a member of the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) (his last station was at Dover) until May 1943, when he commenced training with the Parachute Regiment.[8] He was killed in action on 23 September 1944 by German machine-gun fire in Arnhem (see the Battle of Arnhem), serving as a private in the 10th Battalion, Parachute Regiment during Operation Market Garden, and is commemorated on the Groesbeek Memorial.[1][9]

Notes
  1. Figures include three games and one goal from the abandoned 1939–40 season.[3][4]

References
  1. "Casualty details". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 24 April 2009.
  2. "Player search: Farrage, TO (Tom)". English National Football Archive. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  3. Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
  4. Matthews, p. 181.
  5. Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
  6. Matthews, p. 236.
  7. Rollin, Jack (2005). Soccer at War: 1939–45. London: Headline. pp. 275–76, 349, 358, 368. ISBN 978-0-7553-1431-7.
  8. Hall, Colin (2010). Dropped In It. Kindle ebooks at Amazon.co.uk. ASIN B0047O2F0S.
  9. "The Missing Ones: 10th Parachute Battalion". arnhem1944themissingones.com. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
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