Harold Farncomb
Encyclopedia
Rear Admiral Harold Bruce Farncomb, CB
, DSO
, MVO
(28 February 1899 - 12 February 1971) was a lawyer and Australian Rear Admiral who served in both World War I
and World War II
. He was the first Australian-born RAN officer to reach a flag rank in the RAN. Collins class submarine HMAS Farncomb
is named in his honour.
on 28 February 1899, the second child of Frank Farncomb and Helen Louisa Farncomb, née Sampson. The family lived in Gordon
on the north shore of Sydney. He attended Gordon Public School and Sydney Boys' High School before entering the Royal Australian Naval College (RANC) at age 13 in the RANC's first intake. Farncomb excelled academically at the RANC, graduating with very impressive scores and topped his final year (1916). On completing his studies at the RANC he was promoted to midshipman on 1 January 1917 and left immediately on the steamer Naldera for training with the Royal Navy. Farncomb was stationed on board the battleship HMS Royal Sovereign
in April 1917.
. On leaving Royal Sovereign Farncomb was promoted to sub-lieutenant and sent to HMS Excellent on Whale Island
for course training. After completing training at Whale Island Farncomb was transferred to Woolsher, a small craft attached to the destroyer force at the Firth of Forth
. He then received his first posting in Australia; stationed on board HMAS Stalwart
for a year as a gunnery officer, this posting was followed by a year on the staff of Commodore Percy Addison, Commodore Commanding the Australia Squadron (CCAS). In May 1925, after a 10 month war staff course in the United Kingdom
, he took a posting as a staff officer (operations) with the CCAS.
Heart disease eventually led to his retirement.
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Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, MVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
(28 February 1899 - 12 February 1971) was a lawyer and Australian Rear Admiral who served in both World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He was the first Australian-born RAN officer to reach a flag rank in the RAN. Collins class submarine HMAS Farncomb
HMAS Farncomb (SSG 74)
HMAS Farncomb is the second of six Collins class submarines operated by the Royal Australian Navy .Named for Rear Admiral Harold Farncomb, the submarine was laid down in 1993 and launched in December 1995—the first submarine to be completely constructed in Australia.A combination of factors led to...
is named in his honour.
Early life
Harold Farncomb was born in North Sydney, New South WalesNorth Sydney, New South Wales
North Sydney is a suburb and commercial district on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. North Sydney is located 3 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of North Sydney...
on 28 February 1899, the second child of Frank Farncomb and Helen Louisa Farncomb, née Sampson. The family lived in Gordon
Gordon, New South Wales
Gordon is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Gordon is located north-west of the Sydney Central Business District and is the administrative centre for the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council...
on the north shore of Sydney. He attended Gordon Public School and Sydney Boys' High School before entering the Royal Australian Naval College (RANC) at age 13 in the RANC's first intake. Farncomb excelled academically at the RANC, graduating with very impressive scores and topped his final year (1916). On completing his studies at the RANC he was promoted to midshipman on 1 January 1917 and left immediately on the steamer Naldera for training with the Royal Navy. Farncomb was stationed on board the battleship HMS Royal Sovereign
HMS Royal Sovereign (05)
HMS Royal Sovereign was a Revenge-class battleship of the Royal Navy displacing and armed with eight guns in four twin turrets...
in April 1917.
Naval career
Farncomb served on Royal Sovereign until shortly after the end of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. On leaving Royal Sovereign Farncomb was promoted to sub-lieutenant and sent to HMS Excellent on Whale Island
Whale Island, Hampshire
Whale Island is a small island in Portsmouth Harbour, close by Portsea Island. It is currently home to HMS Excellent, the oldest shore training establishment within the Royal Navy, and the Headquarters of Commander in Chief, Fleet.-Early history:...
for course training. After completing training at Whale Island Farncomb was transferred to Woolsher, a small craft attached to the destroyer force at the Firth of Forth
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...
. He then received his first posting in Australia; stationed on board HMAS Stalwart
HMAS Stalwart (H14)
HMAS Stalwart was an Admiralty S class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy . Built for the Royal Navy during World War I, the ship was not completed until 1919, and spent less than eight months in British service before being transferred to the RAN at the start of 1920...
for a year as a gunnery officer, this posting was followed by a year on the staff of Commodore Percy Addison, Commodore Commanding the Australia Squadron (CCAS). In May 1925, after a 10 month war staff course in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, he took a posting as a staff officer (operations) with the CCAS.
Naval career summary
| 1913 | Royal Australian Naval College, Osborne House, Geelong, Victoria |
| 1917 | promoted midshipman |
| HMS Royal Sovereign HMS Royal Sovereign (05) HMS Royal Sovereign was a Revenge-class battleship of the Royal Navy displacing and armed with eight guns in four twin turrets... (in UK) |
|
| 1918 | promoted sub-lieutenant |
| HMS Excellent (Whale Island, Hampshire Whale Island, Hampshire Whale Island is a small island in Portsmouth Harbour, close by Portsea Island. It is currently home to HMS Excellent, the oldest shore training establishment within the Royal Navy, and the Headquarters of Commander in Chief, Fleet.-Early history:... ) |
|
| 1920 | promoted lieutenant - awarded the maximum of five first-class certificates for his lieutenant's courses |
| 1921 | gunnery officer, HMAS Stalwart HMAS Stalwart (H14) HMAS Stalwart was an Admiralty S class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy . Built for the Royal Navy during World War I, the ship was not completed until 1919, and spent less than eight months in British service before being transferred to the RAN at the start of 1920... (in Australia) |
| 1922 | intelligence officer, Commodore (Sir) Percy Addison's staff on the flagship, HMAS Melbourne HMAS Melbourne (1912) HMAS Melbourne was a Town class light cruiser operated by the Royal Australian Navy . Commissioned in 1913, the cruiser served during World War I. She was paid off in 1928, and broken up for scrap in 1929.-Design and construction:... |
| 1923 | Royal Naval College, Greenwich |
| 1925 | staff officer (operations) to CCAS (Commodore Commanding the Australia Squadron) |
| 1927 | promoted lieutenant commander |
| 1932 | promoted commander |
| 1933 | executive officer, HMAS Australia |
| 1935 | Naval Intelligence Division at the Admiralty |
| 1937 | first RANC graduate to be promoted captain |
| commander HMAS Yarra HMAS Yarra (U77) HMAS Yarra , named for the Yarra River, was a Grimsby class sloop of the Royal Australian Navy that served during World War II. Commissioned in 1936, Yarra spent the early part of the war in Australian waters, then was transferred to the East Indies Station in 1940... |
|
| 1939 | as commander, commissioned HMAS Perth HMAS Perth (D29) HMAS Perth was a Modified Leander class light cruiser operated by the Royal Australian Navy during World War II. She was constructed for the Royal Navy , and commissioned as HMS Amphion in 1936... |
| 1940 | commander HMAS Canberra |
| 1941 | commander of the flagship HMAS Australia, chief staff officer to Rear Admiral (Sir) John Crace |
| 1942 | Rear Admiral (Sir) Victor Crutchley replaced Crace |
| 1944 | commander HMS Attacker (in the Mediterranean) |
| assumed command of the Australian Squadron as commodore first class commodore commanding H.M.A. Squadron (Fleet) |
|
| 1945 | flag officer-in-charge, New South Wales |
| commodore superintendent of training at Flinders Naval Depot, Westernport, Victoria | |
| 1946 | commodore commanding H.M.A. Squadron (Fleet) |
| 1947 | promoted rear admiral |
| flag officer commanding H.M.A. Squadron (Fleet) | |
| 1950 | head of the Australian Joint Services Staff in Washington |
| 1951 | retired from Navy |
Post-military life
Farncomb left the service in 1951 and learned Latin to enable him to study for the Barristers' Admission Board examinations. Admitted to the Bar on 6 June 1958, he developed a reasonably busy practice in Sydney and subsequently joined the solicitors, Alfred Rofe & Sons.Heart disease eventually led to his retirement.
Honours and awards
| |
Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) | |
| |
Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) | |
| |
Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) | |
| British War Medal British War Medal The British War Medal was a campaign medal of the British Empire, for service in World War I.The medal was approved in 1919, for issue to officers and men of British and Imperial forces who had rendered service between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918... |
||
| |
Victory Medal | |
| 1939-45 Star | ||
| |
Atlantic Star Atlantic Star The Atlantic Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II.The star was awarded for six months service afloat, in the Atlantic or in Home Waters, within the period 3 September 1939 to 8 May 1945... |
|
| Pacific Star Pacific Star The Pacific Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II. It was also awarded to certain foreign servicemen, such as Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz of the United States.-Entitlement:... |
||
| Italy Star Italy Star The Italy Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II.The medal was awarded for operational service in Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia, Pantelleria, the Aegean area and Dodecanese Islands, and Elba at any time between 11 June 1943 and 8 May 1945... |
||
| War Medal 1939–1945 War Medal 1939–1945 The War Medal 1939–1945 was a British decoration awarded to those who had served in the Armed Forces or Merchant Navy full-time for at least 28 days between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945. In the Merchant Navy, the 28 days must have been served at sea... |
||
| Australian Service Medal 1939-45 | ||
| King George V Silver Jubilee Medal King George V Silver Jubilee Medal The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the coronation of King George V.-Issue:... |
1935 | |
| King George VI Coronation Medal King George VI Coronation Medal The King George VI Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the coronation of King George VI.-Issue:For Coronation and Jubilee medals, the practice up until 1977 was that United Kingdom authorities decided on a total number to be produced, then allocated a proportion to each of... |
1937 | |
| |
Navy Cross Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all... |
(United States) |
Retirement and death
Survived by his wife, Farncomb died on 12 February 1971 in St Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst, and was cremated with Anglican rites. His ashes were scattered at sea on 2 March from the flight deck of his last flagship, HMAS Sydney, off the coast of Western Australia.Personal life
On 31 March 1927 at Trinity Congregational Church, Strathfield, Sydney, he married Jean Ross Nott; they were to remain childless. "Jean provided staunch support throughout the vicissitudes of her husband's career".External links
- 1956 portrait of RAdm Farncomb by Harold Abbott