The Lost Footballer of Arnhem and the Extraordinary Story of the Hunt for Relatives

In September 2015, at Arnhem, former 10 PARA (V) member Terry Lowe met Colin Hall, a veteran of the WWII 10th Battalion, Parachute Regiment. During their conversation, Colin shared his moving story of the Battle of Arnhem — and spoke with deep emotion about his best friend and comrade, Tom Farrage, a talented professional footballer who had been killed in action.

Colin never forgot Tom. After the war, he tried in vain to trace his friend’s family, hoping to let them know that Tom had been remembered. Sadly, Colin passed away only a few months after that meeting with Terry, never knowing that his wish would one day be fulfilled.

What followed was an extraordinary journey — the successful search for Tom Farrage’s relatives, decades after his death. The discovery led to a touching tribute by Birmingham City Football Club, the team Tom once proudly represented before enlisting.

This is the story of how a friendship forged in war, and a memory kept alive for more than eighty years, finally found its way home.

CLICK ON THE TWO FILES BELOW FOR THE FULL STORY –

Tom Farrage Article

Military Biography for Tom Farrage

AND THIS IS THE LINK TO THE YOUTUBE FILM BY BIRMINGHAM CITY FOOTBALL CLUB –

https://youtu.be/tqVo1aT4-sc?si=Ct9E6BFLhxgbAhog

We will hold our annual service of Remembrance at the 10th Battalion Memorial, Burrough on the Hill on Sunday 9th November 2025 starting at 10.45hrs.

We will be serving refreshments after the service by courtesy of The Matt Hampson Foundation at the Get Busy Living Centre.

Please come along – ALL ARE WELCOME

Screenshot

DAVINA BATES (1937–2025) and MICHAEL BATES (1935–2025)

We remember Davina and Michael Bates, who so sadly passed away within weeks of one another – perhaps unsurprising, as they were inseparable in life. We will dedicate two plaques in their memory, to be placed together on our oak Friends of Friends of The Tenth memorial post.

Davina was our Somerby stalwart – the very first to step forward in 2016 to support Friends of The Tenth, when the idea of a memorial to the Battalion was first brought before Somerby Parish Council. And of course, where Davina was, Michael was too – in all things, they were a team.

As one of the few remaining villagers who remembered the ‘Paras’ in Somerby during 1944, Davina was a living link to the past. She shared her childhood memories with humour and warmth – from watching young soldiers queue at her father’s bakery for cakes and pastries, to delighting Somerby schoolchildren in recent years with stories of wartime village life, including her famous tale of trying to eat her first banana (skin and all!).

Together, Davina and Michael gave so much of themselves to FoTT. Tirelessly spreading our story far and wide, and warmly welcoming veterans and their families back to the village. In Somerby and beyond, they became synonymous with all things relating to the 10th Battalion.

Their generosity was remarkable – not just through donations and thoughtful gifts (including the Stilton cheese and Melton pork pies they always brought to our gatherings) – but above all through their time, their energy, and their friendship.

A very special gift to our cause is the granite setts that now surround the sculpture in the Memorial garden. Once part of the original Somerby pavement, they were carefully gathered and preserved by Michael when the village pathways were ‘modernised’. Upon these very stones, the men of the Tenth once walked. In themselves, they stand as another memorial — to both Davina and Michael.

Davina often said her greatest wish was that Somerby would always welcome the ‘Paras’ and their families, just as it had during those nine months in 1944 before Arnhem. Long before our charity was founded, through their kindness, love, and dedication, Davina and Michael helped to keep that spirit of welcome alive.

At  All Saints church, Somerby, just outside the main entrance, you will see a Friends of The Tenth Rose, planted by them.

They were a truly lovely couple, who meant so much to us all, and whose loss will be deeply felt.

With love and gratitude,
Friends of The Tenth