Roy Farran

Major Roy Alexander Farran DSO, MC & Two Bars (born: 2 January 1921 — died: 1 June 2006) was a soldier, cabinet minister, farmer and author, and journalist. He was best known for his exploits with the Special Air Service during World War II. In Israel he is notoriously remembered for the alleged kidnapping and murder of 16 year old Alexander Rubowitz, during his service in Palestine. He was tried and acquitted under British law of this crime.

Early life

Farran was born in India where his Irish father was serving as a Warrant Officer with the RAF. Roy Farran was a practicing Catholic. After attending the Bishop Cotton School in Shimla and Sandhurst, he was commissioned into the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales's Dragoon Guards).

ervice early in the Second World War

He served with 51st Training Regiment and was then attached to the 3rd King's Own Hussars in Egypt seeing action at the December 1940 to February 1941 at the Battle of Sidi Barrani, when Commonwealth forces defeated the Italian army in North Africa.

Farran took part in the Battle of Crete but while leading a tank attack he was wounded and captured. For these actions he received his first MC. He escaped under the perimeter fence from the Athens prisoner-of-war hospital and sailed for Egypt with a group of escapees. After a stormy nine-day passage, where they ran out of water, the party was picked up by a destroyer north of Alexandria - and Farran received a bar to his MC.

By January 1942, Farran was ADC to Major General Jock Campbell, commander of 7th Armoured Division. On February 26, shortly after Campbell's VC was gazetted, Farran was driving him when the car overturned and Campbell was killed. Wounded again later that year, Farran returned to England, but was back in north Africa in early 1943. Here, after parachute training, he joined 2nd SAS.

He then led a raid on Cape Passero lighthouse in Sicily and carried out reconnaissance patrols and sabotage in the south. One of the most spectacular of these was in October 1943 when Farran dropped with a 2nd SAS detachment north of the River Tronto behind German lines. In five days his force destroyed transport, cut communications and blew up railway lines - a third MC followed.

Operation Wallace

On August 19 1944, 60 men and 20 Jeeps from the 2nd SAS landed by Dakota transport at the American held Rennes airfield. Operation Wallace, one of the most successful post D-day SAS operations, and it was led by Farran, then aged 23.

Farran penetrated 200 miles through enemy lines in four days, joining the base set up by the earlier Operation Hardy near Chatillon, north of Dijon. His operation, ending on September 17, resulted in 500 enemy casualties, the destruction of 95 vehicles, a train and 100,000 gallons of petrol. SAS casualties were light. On the way back through France, Farran's squadron took illicit leave in Paris. Operation Wallace brought him a DSO.

Operation Tombola

Following Operation Wallace, and back in Italy, Farran took part in Operation Tombola, harassing the German withdrawal. Despite strict orders against taking personal command, Farran, wangling a flight in a US aircraft, managed to "fall out" just east of La Spezia where he joined up with his men. During the latter phase of operations, Farran raised the "Battaglione Alleato" comprising British, partisans and escaped Russian prisoners, which, in Albania and again against orders, attacked the German 51st Division headquarters. Farran anticipated a court-martial for disobeying orders, but the Americans awarded him their Legion of Merit, so the matter was dropped. He was in Norway when the war ended.

ervice after the Second World War

Postwar, Farran was in Palestine with the 3rd Hussars, followed by a posting to Sandhurst as an instructor. But with the end of the British Mandate in sight, he returned to Palestine. With the Palestine Police Force he set up the "Q" patrols to infiltrate terrorist networks, but was in serious trouble when it was alleged that a cap bearing his name had been found near where Alexander Rubowitz a 16-year-old Jewish youth had been abducted and allegedly shot. When the allegations became public, Farran was put under house arrest. Although he claimed to have a cast-iron alibi, when he heard he was to be charged with murder, he stole a vehicle and with others crossed into Syria where he contacted the British Legation in Damascus.

Prevailed upon to return, accompanied by a senior officer of the Palestine Police Force, Farran was detained in Allenby Barracks. Convinced the British would disown him in the interests of assuaging public opinion, he decamped, but gave himself up when an armed underground Zionist faction called Lehi "(a.k.a. "The Stern Gang")", took reprisals against his friends. When Farran came to trial, the case was dismissed. No body had been found, and witnesses claiming to have seen the victim taken away failed to identify Farran in a line-up. When his youngest brother Rex was killed by a letter bomb sent to the family home in Codsall a year after the boy's disappearance, Farran, away at the time, suspected Lehi. This was confirmed by Israeli Knesset member Geula Cohen in a UK Channel 4 interview in 2004. Cohen stated that the letter bomb had been addressed to "R. Farran" without knowledge of the younger brother named Rex.

After military service in the UK

Once out of the army Farran seems to have found it difficult to settle. He worked as a quarryman in Scotland, went to Africa and, in 1950, ran as Conservative candidate for Dudley & Stourbridge, losing to George Wigg, a future Labour minister.

Move to Canada

Farran then went to live in Alberta, Canada, where he spent the rest of his life. A man of many parts, Farran farmed and worked as a journalist and, in 1954, started the weekly North Hill News. He later went on to work for the Calgary Herald a major daily paper. He published "History of the Calgary Highlanders 1921-1954" in 1955.

Political career

Roy started out in Canadian politics by winning election to Calgary municipal council.

From 1971 to 1979, Farran held a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. During his 2 terms in office he would serve 2 portfolio's in cabinet, Minister of Telephones and Utilities and Solicitor General under the Peter Lougheed government.

In the 1971 Alberta general election he would defeat long time Social Credit incumbent Robert A. Simpson and future New Democrat MLA Barry Pashak in a hotly contested election. He represented the Progressive Conservatives in the provincial legislature.

He would take over the Minister of Telephones portfolio in 1973 after the death of Calgary Foothills MLA Len Werry.

In the 1975 Alberta general election Roy significantly widened his plurality and retained his seat. He would not run again in 1979 and retired from Alberta politics.

Late life

His later jobs included chairmanship of the province's racing commission and, in the 1980s, he was a visiting professor at the University of Alberta. He later established a foundation in the French Vosges, providing Franco-Canadian student exchanges. For this he received the Legion d'Honneur in 1994 to add to his 1946 Croix de Guerre.

Despite losing his larynx to cancer, he learned to speak through an incision in his throat and remained active.

He published a number of books including two about his wartime experiences - Winged Dagger (1948) and Operation Tombola (1960).

References

* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,,1795239,00.html Guardian Obituary]
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,60-2212028_2,00.html Times on-line Roy Farran June 2, 2006]
* [http://www.assembly.ab.ca/isys/LADDAR_files/docs/hansards/han/legislature_26/session_2/20060824_1330_01_han.pdf Roy Farran death notice Alberta Legislature Hansard August 24, 2006]