Captain Harold Darrell FURBER
3rd Battalion Welsh Regiment attached to the 2nd Battalion

Date of birth: 4th April 1880
Date of death: 28th December 1964

Died aged 84
Unknown
Harold Darrell Furber was born at 6 Upper Hamilton Terrace, Marylebone in London on the 4th of April 1880 the twin son of Charles Furber, a land agent, and Emily Darrell Louisa (nee Turner) Furber of 9 Cavendish Mansions, Portland Place in London. He was christened at St Mark’s Church, Marylebone on the 10th of May 1881.

He left Hazelwood School in July 1894 for Charterhouse School where he was in Lockites House from September 1894 to December 1896.

Following the outbreak of the South African War he enlisted in the 1st Volunteer Company, King’s Shropshire Light Infantry and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the 3rd Battalion Welsh Regiment (Militia) on the 17th of June 1901.
From June 1901 to February 1902 he took part in operations in the Cape Colony as well as taking part in operations in the Transvaal and in the Orange River Colony in December 1901. He was awarded the Queen’s Medal with five clasps. He was promoted to Lieutenant on the 18th of July 1903 and to Captain on the 10th of June 1905. He transferred to the Special Reserve of Officers on the 12th of July 1908.

He was married at Cardiff in late 1914 to Barbara (nee Johnston).

Following the outbreak of war he was mobilised and embarked for France on the 20th of December 1914 where he was attached to the 2nd Battalion of his regiment. He was mentioned in despatches. Later in the war he conducted experiments at Cardiff and Barry Island in the use of dogs as draught animals to pull light carriages for the rapid movement of machine guns and their ammunition around a battlefield. This experimentation led to the development of the Furber Ambulance Carriage which were fitted with pneumatic tyres and greatly improved the movement of wounded men across the battlefield. A committee of locals from Barry Island raised the £30 necessary to provide two of these vehicles to the 2nd Battalion Welsh Regiment in 1915. In July of that year Harold Furber wrote to the committee as follows: - “The Furber ambulance carriages are proving a Godsend to our wounded men in France, and the regimental stretcher bearers are literally dancing with joy.”

Appeals were launched to raise funds to supply two of these to each regiment.

He resigned his commission on the 4th of August 1930 and was granted the honorary rank of Major. He went to work as a Director of Anglo American Radio and Motors Ltd and lived at 5 Bolton Gardens, Kensington. He was recalled for service during the Second World War when he was appointed as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps in the M.M. Branch on the 3rd of April 1941. He transferred to the Royal and Mechanical Engineers and was promoted to Lieutenant on the 1st of October 1942.

After the war he lived at 47 Wallace Avenue, Worthing in Sussex.

His twin brother, Captain Leonard Duckworth Furber King’s Own Shropshire Light Infantry, died in Ireland on the 27th of May 1912.

He died at 20 Reigate Road in Worthing.
Went on to Charterhouse School

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