Philip
Farrow


PHILIP H. FARROW was born in Camden NJ on April 10, 1916 to Leslie Ray and Nellie M. Farrow. The elder Farrow had served in the navy for eight years, and had seen action in the 1915 naval expedition to Veracruz, Mexico. When the city directory was compiled in 1914, while still in the United States Navy. Leslie Farrow Sr. and family lived at 1012 South 4th Street in Camden. He had left the Navy by 1917.

Philip Farrow was the second of six children, coming after Geraldine, and before Jesse C., Leslie Ray Jr., George and Evelyn. In June of 1917, when Leslie Sr. registered for the draft, the family lived at 1378 Whitman Avenue. He listed is occupation as spike maker for the Steel Company of Canada, based in Hamilton, Ontario. Leslie Farrow Sr. later worked as an engineer for Camden's city water department, and was active in the Masons. 

By 1924 the Farrow family was living at 529 Newton Avenue in Camden. Five doors down, at 519 Newton Avenue, lived former major league third-baseman Ed Lennox, brother of John Lennox, the Chief of Camden's Fire Department from 1932 until his death in 1947. On November 16, 1940 Philip Farrow was appointed to the Fire Department. He was still living with his parents and siblings at 529 Newton Avenue and had been working as a roofer with the Max Reihmann Jr. company. Philip Farrow's first assignment was with Engine Company 8.

Fear of enemy air raids in 1942 spawned a number of Federal Decrees regulating public conduct in the event of air raid warnings. One new Federal Regulation prohibited fire apparatus from using sirens in response to alarms. Under war-time regulations, sirens would be reserved exclusively for air raid warnings.

The use of audible warning devices by fire apparatus was restricted to bells only. The burden to both fire fighters and the public safety was formidable. On March 1, 1942, the inevitable happened. Engine Company 8 while responding to an alarm was involved in a collision with a ten ton truck at Third Street and Kaighn Avenue. Upon impact all of the firemen were thrown into the street. The truck driver declared that he failed to hear the bells of the approaching apparatus. The mishap resulted in injuries to six members and total destruction of the apparatus. Captain Alvin Thompson was listed in critical condition, while Firemen Mitchell Wojtkowiak, Philip Farrow, Leonard Oshushek, Lawrence Boulton and Edwin Robbins were admitted for lesser injuries. Battalion Chief Newton stated that he believed the accident might have been avoided if fire companies were not prohibited from using sirens. 

Philip Farrow served his country during World War II as a member of the United States Coast Guard. Sadly, brother Leslie Farrow Jr. was home on leave when he was killed in a car accident on July 21, 1945. He would have been 21 the next day. He was survived by his mother, brother Philip, of 219 North 6th Street in Camden, brother Jesse of the Newton Avenue address, and sisters, his father having passed away September 26, 1942. Leslie Farrow Jr. was buried alongside of his father, in the Masonic section of Lakeview Memorial Park in Cinnaminson NJ. His mother passed in 1967, and they all rest together.

Soon afterwards Philip Farrow returned to work with the Camden Fire Department. During the late 1940s he served with Engine Company 6 at Front and Linden Streets. On June 16, 1951 he was promoted to Captain. By the mid-1960s he was working in the Fire Alarm Radio Room. He retired on September 15, 1968. Philip Farrow was still residing at 219 North 6th Street when he retired.

Last a resident of Ventnor NJ, Philip Farrow passed away on November 19, 1992.


Leslie R. Farrow 
grew up in this house
at
529 Newton Street, Camden NJ

Photo December 8, 2002


His Brother, Jesse C. Farrow


His Sister, Geraldine Farrow -1933


Camden Courier-Post
November 16, 1940

Mary Kobus - Edward Tatem - William H. Tatem
Mt. Vernon Street - Charles Errickson
Roland Comerford -
William Comerford
Cramer Street 
Joseph Hooven - North 19th Street
Philip Farrow - Newton Avenue
John Gryickiewicz - North Front Street
Thomas Winstanley - Bailey Street
Anthony Bretschneider - Louis Street
Camden High School
Woodrow Wilson High School


Camden Courier-Post * December 4, 1940

...continued...
...continued...
Joseph Caputi - Joseph M. Carroll - Roland Comerford - Vincent Conley - James Eskridge
Joseph Hooven - Julius Kaunacki - William E. Kelly - William H. Neale - Francis J. Nelson
John E. Opfer - Cecil H. Picou - Earl Quinton - Edward W. Tatem - Harry Tracy - Harold Vecander
John H. Watkins - Edward Watson - Donald R. Watson - George T. Weber - Stanley Zuckowicz
Philip Farrow - Anthony Bretschneider - John Gryckiewicz - Thomas Winstanley
William Palese - Anthony Dzinski - Joseph Guarino - Martin Nelson - William Cleary - Otto Kaiser   

Camden Courier-Post

June 23, 1942

Top: Leslie Ray Farrow Jr. , Philip Farrow
Bottom: Leslie Ray Farrow Sr.

Click on Image to Enlarge

Click Here for Newspaper Article


Camden Courier-Post - June 4, 1948

City Fireman Nips Blaze on Way to Shore

Phil Farrow, a Camden city fireman had a busman's holiday this morning.

While enroute to the PRR terminal to catch a train for Atlantic City to enjoy a few days off, Farrow saw a passerby running to a fire alarm box at Delaware avenue and Market street.

Farrow had just completed work at 8 a. m. and was still in uniform. He approached the man and asked him where the fire was. The man pointed to a car on a parking lot across the street from the RCA plant.

Farrow gave the man a nickel and told him to call Camden 4-5050, the Electrical Bureau, rather than pull the alarm which brings out half the city's fire-fighting equipment, because of the industrial plants and hotels in the vicinity.

Farrow then grabbed a fire extinguisher from an RCA guard, rushed to the car and put out the blaze before firemen arrived.

Meanwhile the passerby apparently forgot the telephone number Farrow gave him, because instead of calling he pulled the box and four engines and one truck company answered the call.

The fire, Farrow said, was under the hood of the car and was caused by defective wiring. It is owned by John Walton, an RCA employe, who lives at 192 Blue Anchor road, Tansboro.

Farrow still had time to board his train to Atlantic City.


Engine 6 Wagon and Pumper at Front & Linden Streets
circa 1948

Left column, from left: Captain William Deitz, Firemen Robert Dukes
Harrison Pike, Mario Fattore, Edwin Callahan
Right column, from left: Firemen Thomas McParland, Philip Farrow
Thomas Winstanley, James Stewart, Ernest Tartaglia, John "Shorty" Prucella

Click on Image to Enlarge - Click HERE to Supersize


Engine 6 Wagon and Pumper at Front & Linden Streets
circa 1949

On apparatus John Prucella and Harrison Pike- Motor Pump Operators, l to r: Philip Farrow, Edwin Callahan, Thomas McParland, Robert Dukes, Captain William Deitz, Thomas Winstanley, James Stewart, Mario Fattore, and Ernest Tartaglia 

Click on Image to Enlarge - Click HERE to Supersize


Camden Courier-Post - June 1950

Camden Courier-Post - June 1950



Click on Images to Enlarge

Camden Courier-Post
April 28, 1962

HEAVY BLACK SMOKE pours from a vacant factory and warehouse building formerly owned by the Fuller Brush Company at 6th Street and Atlantic Avenue this morning as a three alarm lire destroyed the structure. The amount of the loss has not been determined.


Camden Courier-Post * April 28, 1962

...continued...
...continued...

John Gaffney Sr. - Robert Thomas - Edward MacDowell - Giant Tiger - Philip Farrow
Donald Fuhrer - Modern Hard Chrome aka SL Surface Technologies
 
Engine Company 8 - Engine Company 6 - South 6th Street - Atlantic Avenue

Camden Courier-Post - September 1963
Philip Farrow - Howard Doerschner - Edward V. Michalak - Col. Edwin Bedell - Edward MacDowell
Pennsauken Fire Department - Niagara Fire Company - John T. Plasket - Richard Davis - Haddon Heights Fire Company 

Captain Philip Farrow - 1967

This 1967 Photo of Camden NJ Fire Department Fire Alarm Radio Room in City Hall shows Fire Captain Philip Farrow sending out Fire Run on Camden KEG 405 Radio. These were the days before County Fire Radio Dispatching.

 Photo graph by Bob Bartosz


 


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