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Bilston, Egypt, Joseph Farnell, North Africa, Oxford Street, Royal Tank Regiment, Second World War, West Bromwich
The son of Samuel John and Phoebe Farnell, Joseph was born in West Bromwich in 1910. In 1911, the family were living at 3 Woodenwell Yard, Oxford Street, Bilston, and the household consisted of Joseph and his parents, along with his siblings Caroline, Mary Ann Gertrude, Ann, Samuel John, William George, and an adopted son, Richard Parr. In 1940, Joseph married Irene May Howitt in Bilston.
Joseph enlisted in the 5th Royal Tank Regiment, part of the Royal Armoured Corps, as a Sergeant (service number 7883681). In November 1941, the Regiment was serving in North Africa, with the aim of pushing Rommel back. As part of this Operation Crusader, Joseph lost his life on 23 November 1941. He is remembered at the Alamein Memorial in Egypt.
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The research for this blog post was carried out by remote digital volunteer, Ann Eales.