Farrar, James, 1923-1944

James Farrar (1923-1944), poet and airman, was born on 5 October 1923 at Woodford in Essex, the second son of a father who had served in the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War. He matriculated at fourteen years of age, and soon after began to write poetry and prose. Despite his youth, his work was of an exceptional maturity and skill. Tragically, he was killed in a RAF mosquito aircraft trying to destroy a V1 flying bomb at the end of July 1944. He was twenty years of age. His work was later discovered by Henry Williamson, who published an edition of the works in 1950, with the title 'The Unreturning Spring'.

From the guide to the Additional papers of James Farrar, 1938-2008, (Special Collections Archives, University of Exeter (GB0029))

From the guide to the Watercolour painting by James Farrar, 1930s-1940s, (Special Collections Archives, University of Exeter (GB0029))

From the guide to the Papers of James Farrar: BBC broadcasts about 'The unreturning spring', c 1964, (University of Exeter)