William Glover Farrow(September 24, 1918 – October 15, 1942) was alieutenantin theUnited States Army Air Forceswho participated in theDoolittle Raid.In February 1942, he volunteered to participate in the raid, which took place on April 18 that year. Farrow was captured by the Japanese after the completion of his bombing mission. He was tried, and along with two other crew members, sentenced to death and executed byfiring squad.His ashes were recovered and interred in theArlington National Cemeteryin 1946, and he posthumously received multiple awards.
William Glover Farrow | |
|---|---|
 William Farrow in uniform | |
| Nickname(s) | Bill |
| Born | September 24, 1918 Darlington, South Carolina,U.S. |
| Died | October 15, 1942(aged 24) Shanghai,Japanese-occupied China |
| Cause of death | Execution by firing squad |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service |  United States Army Air Corps United States Army Air Forces |
| Years of service | 1940–1942 |
| Rank |  First Lieutenant |
| Unit | 34th Bomb Squadron 17th Bomb Group |
| Battles / wars | World War II •Doolittle Raid |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross Purple Heart |
Early life
editWilliam Farrow was born inDarlington, South Carolina,on September 24, 1918.[1]His father Isaac was employed at a cigarette company inRaleigh, North Carolina;his mother Jessie, born in 1897, was the daughter of a wealthy tobacco warehouse owner.[2]At age sixteen, William became anEagle Scout.He graduated from St. John's High School in May 1935,[3]and went on to attend theUniversity of South Carolina.[1][4]
Military career
editDuring the fall of 1939, he received his pilot training at theHawthorne School of AeronauticsinOrangeburg, South Carolina.[3]On November 23, 1940, Farrow joined theUnited States Army Air Corps'Aviation Cadet Program.He joined the Air Corps training program in November 1940, and was commissioned in July 1941.
In July of the following year, he obtained hisaviator badgeand a commission as asecond lieutenantatKelly FieldinTexas.Following his completion of theB-25 Mitchelltraining program, he was sent toPendleton FieldinOregonas a member of the34th Bomb Squadron.[1]
Doolittle Raid
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In February 1942, following the squadron's transfer toColumbia Army Air Basein January, Farrow volunteered to participate in theDoolittle Raid,an attempt to retaliate against the Japanese as a result of theirattack on Pearl Harbor.At the time, however, the mission was secret and its target unknown to the volunteers. On April 1, 1942, after training in various places around the United States, the crews and their respective aircraft departed fromSan Franciscoaboard theUSSHornet(CV-8).[3]The mission took place on April 18.[1]The B-25 which Farrow piloted,[1]namedBat out of Hell,[3]was the sixteenth and final aircraft to depart from theHornet.[1][5]After the aircraft's targets inNagoya,which included an oil tank and aircraft factory, had been bombed, Farrow intended to land inQuzhou.However, the Japanese had deactivated the beacon that Farrow was using for direction.[5]
Capture and death
editThe Imperial Japanese Forces were desperately searching for the whereabouts of the raid's 16th aircraft. Sixteen hours after departure from theHornet,the aircraft's fuel exhausted, Farrow and his crew bailed out near Japanese-controlledNanchang,China. The Japanese captured Farrow and all members of his crew, and subjected them to imprisonment, interrogation, and torture.[3]The men were subsequently tried and sentenced to death.[5]Most of the crew members' sentences were commuted to life imprisonment by theEmperor of Japan,but the sentences of three men, including Farrow, stood.[3]The night before their execution, the men were permitted to write final letters.[5]TheInternational Red Crosswas to mail the letters after receiving them from the Japanese. The Japanese, however, did not pass on the letters, and they were never mailed.[6]Farrow wrote letters to his mother and to a friend, Lt. Ivan Ferguson.[5][6]In the letter addressed to his mother, Farrow wrote:
You have given much, so much more to me than I have returned, but such is the Christian way. You are and always will be a real angel. Be brave and strong for my sake. I love you, Mom, from the depths of a full heart... Don't let this get you down. Just remember God will make everything right and that I'll see you all again in the hereafter... So let me implore you to keep your chin up. Be brave and strong for my sake. P.S. My insurance policy is in my bag in a small tent in Columbia. ReadThanatopsisby Bryant if you want to know how I am taking this. My faith in God is complete, so I am unafraid.[3][5][7]
At dawn on October 15, the men were taken to a public cemetery nearShanghai,where they were shot by a Japanese firing squad.[3][5]Following the bodies' cremation, the ashes were taken to amortuary.[3]After the war ended, the men's ashes were recovered and their letters found in a secret file of the War Ministry Building inTokyo.[3]In 1946, Farrow was interred with honors at theArlington National Cemetery,[3]Section 12, Grave 157.
Honors
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Farrow was posthumously given multiple awards. These included theOrder of the Sacred Tripod( bảo đỉnh huân chương ) of the Republic of China, theDistinguished Flying Cross,and thePurple Heart.[3]He was also awarded thePrisoner of War Medal,which, by authorization of Congress in 1985, was given to all members of the United States Armed Forces who had been a prisoner of war after April 5, 1917.[8]
He is the namesake of the Arnold Air Society’s William Glover Farrow Squadron hosted by AFROTC Detachment 775 at USC.[9]In 2013, he was posthumously inducted into theSouth Carolina Hall of Fame.[10]
References
edit- ^abcdef"William G. Farrow".veterantributes.org.
- ^Griffin, John Chandler (November 30, 2006).Lt. Bill Farrow: Doolittle Raider.Pelican Publishing. pp. 26–27.ISBN978-1-4556-0798-3.
- ^abcdefghijkl"William G." Billy "Farrow".scaaonline.
- ^South Carolina Hall of Fame. "William G. Farrow." Video biography. SouthCarolinaETV. 2013. https:// youtube /watch?app=desktop&v=Ne9fjfQTSA4
- ^abcdefgDana, Dwight (April 17, 2012)."Darlington Doolittle Raider: Lt. Billy Farrow still remembered".scnow.
- ^abChandler, p. 13
- ^Lillian Watson (1988).Light From Many Lamps.Simon and Schuster. pp.50.ISBN978-0-671-65250-0.
- ^Koch, Tom."Hero's Medal Reflects Faith in the Face of Death".utdallas.edu.Archived fromthe originalon March 4, 2016.RetrievedJuly 3,2015.
- ^"William Glover Farrow Squadron".RetrievedMay 30,2018.
- ^"South Carolina Hall Of Fame: William G. Farrow".theofficialschalloffame.