b. 19/03/1908 Kensington, London. d. 09/07/1930 Carberry, Manitoba, Canada.
DATE OF AM ACTION: 23/09/1916 Cowichan Lake, Canada.
Anthony J L Farrar AM
Tony, as he was more commonly known, was born in Kensington, London on 19th March 1908, the son of Herbert William and Margery Isabel Farrer (nee Drew). He had an elder sister, Helen. After a spell living in Rye, Sussex, the family emigrated to Canada. Following the incident at Cowichan Lake, the family moved to Victoria, British Columbia, and Tony attended Brentwood Boys College from 1923-1926. Tony then enlisted and was commissioned into the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry as a Lieutenant. He was killed in a shooting accident at Camp Hughes on 9th July 1930, aged 22.
AM CITATION:
On the 23rd September, 1916 the two children left their homes at Cowichan Lake for the purpose of catching their ponies and, when about half a mile from home, they were attacked by a cougar. They were almost upon the animal before they saw it crouching in a path at a corner. The little girl was first attacked; the cougar sprang upon her, and she was knocked down with her face to the ground, the animal being on her back. The boy at once attacked the cougar with his fists and riding bridle, and drove the .animal off the girl; it then attacked him, and his companion, getting to her feet, came to his rescue, fighting with her clenched hands and bridle, and even putting her .arm into the cougar’s mouth, to try to prevent it from biting Anthony. She succeeded in getting it off the boy, and it stood on its hindquarters and fought with her, but evidently it was disturbed by some sound, for presently it slunk away and ran under a log, where it was afterwards killed. The children, though both badly injured, were able to make their way home. The cougar measured over 7 feet from nose to tip of tail.
BURIAL LOCATION: VETERANS CEMETERY, ESQUIMALT, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.
SECTION F, ROW 3, PLOT 0102.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: UNKNOWN.
