Master Henry Farrant
(1849-1911)
17 December 1861

Volume 5, page 283, sitting number 6623.

Henry Cecil Binstead Farrant was born in 1849 in the district of Marylebone. On 3 September 1867 he joined the 3rd Regiment of Foot as an Ensign (by purchase). By 1870 he had transferred to the 81st Foot (The Loyal Lincoln Volunteers), his regiment for the rest of his military career. His regiment was sent to Gibraltar in 1870 and on 25 March 1871 Farrant was promoted to Lieutenant. In 1874 the 81st Foot left for India. In 1876 Lieutenant Farrant married Mary Roma Ferguson in London, returning to India with his new wife shortly afterwards. He served with his regiment in the Second Afghan War and was present at Ali Masjid. He was promoted Captain on 6 March 1880. Three weeks later, on 29 March 1880, a daughter was born to Mrs Farrant at Ferozepore, Punjab.

With the Cardwell reforms of 1881, Captain Farrant’s regiment became the 2nd Battalion of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. They returned from Bengal in 1883. Farrant was gazetted a Major on 29 July 1884 and was seconded as a Deputy-Assistant Adjutant-General for Instruction at Aldershot, a position he resigned in August 1891 when he became second-in-command of the 2nd Battalion of his regiment. In May 1893, he was appointed Professor of Staff Duties, Military Administration and Law at the Staff College, accepting a promotion to a half-pay lieutenant-colonelcy. He was gazetted back to his regiment as a Lieutenant-Colonel on 11 September 1894.

In May 1897, now a brevet-colonel, he was gazetted Assistant-Adjutant-General (AAG) of the Dublin district, with the substantive rank of Colonel, and he commanded the Infantry Brigade at the 1899 Autumn Manoeuvres in Ireland. On 23 February 1900 the Times announced that he had been selected for appointment as AAG, Headquarters. He was placed on half-pay on 11 January 1902 and retired on retirement pay on 24 May 1904.

Colonel Henry Farrant died, aged 62, on 28 December 1911 at 6 Sydney Place, Onslow Square, South Kensington. He left an estate valued at £26,600.