Private Joseph Farmer

Joseph Farmer was born in Nottingham, England on December 7, 1897. He spent 16 months with the 84^th Territorials in England before he immigrated to Paris and lived on East Broadway Street. He is commemorated at St James Anglican Church. He was employed as a spinner, probably with Penmans. He was single and 18 years old when he enlisted with the 125^th Battalion in Paris.

Joseph was a member of the 10^th Platoon that embarked aboard the S.S Scandinavia on February 12, 1916. The 9^th and 10^th Platoons were the first contingent of soldiers from Paris, nearly 100 men, to go overseas. On September 11, 1916, he was examined by the medical board and found to have no disability and was fit for duty. On April 17, 1917, he was examined for flat feet but there was no disability found.

On April 20, 1917, Joe was transferred to the Canadian Forestry Corps in Sunningdale. The Forestry Corps was created during the First World War when it was discovered that huge quantities of wood were needed for use on the Western Front. Duckboards, shoring timbers, crates, anything that needed wood had to be provided. The British government concluded that there was nobody more experienced or qualified in the British Empire to harvest timber than the Canadians. At first the idea was to harvest the trees from Canada's abundant forests and bring them overseas. But space aboard merchant ships was at a premium, so rather than stuff ships' holds with timber, it was decided to use the Canadians over in Europe, cutting down forests in the UK and France.

Joe remained with the Forestry Corps until the end of the war. He was demobilized on July 19, 1919.