| Joseph John Farmer | |
|---|---|
Funerary monument, Brompton Cemetery, London |
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| Born | 15 May 1854 Clerkenwell, London |
| Died | 30 June 1930 Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood, Middlesex |
| Buried at | Brompton Cemetery |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1879-1881 |
| Rank | Corporal |
| Unit | Army Hospital Corps |
| Battles/wars | Anglo-Zulu War First Boer War |
| Awards | Victoria Cross |
Joseph John Farmer VC (15 May 1854 – 30 June 1930) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
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Farmer was first utilised treating the wounded from the Battle of Ulundi during the Anglo-Zulu War.[1] He was 26 years old, and a provisional lance-corporal in the Army Hospital Corps (later Royal Army Medical Corps), British Army during the First Boer War when the following deed took place on 27 February 1881, at Majuba Hill in South Africa for which he was awarded the VC:
For conspicuous bravery during the engagement with the Boers at the Majuba Mountain, on the 27th February, 1881, when he showed a spirit of self-abnegation and an example of cool courage which cannot be too highly commended. While the Boers closed with the British troops near the wells, Corporal Farmer held a white flag over the wounded, and when the arm holding the flag was shot through, he called out that he had "another." He then raised the flag with the other arm, and continued to do so until that also was pierced with a bullet.[2]
He later achieved the rank of corporal. He was forced to leave the army due to his wounds and joined the Corps of Commissionaires and then became a house-painter.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Army Medical Services Museum in Aldershot, England.