Pte
Robert Henry Parker
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1887 |
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Place of birth: Bicester, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: Union Street, Cowley, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom |
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Profession: Professional Soldier |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 7875 |
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Enlistment place: Reading, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Princess Charlotte of Wales’s (Royal Berkshire Regiment), 1st Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 30/10/1914 |
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Place of death: Molenaarelsthoek, Zonnebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 27 |
Memorial
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Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial Panel: 45 K |
Distinctions and medals 3
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1914 Star Medal |
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Robert Henry Parker was born in 1887 at Bicester in Oxfordshire. In 1901 Robert works as an errand boy, living in Cowley Oxfordshire with his parents and five siblings. Ten years later Robert was in the Army, and was stationed in India with the 2nd Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment.
When the War broke out, Robert was serving with the 1st Battalion, which was garrisoned at Aldershot, Hampshire. The battalion was under command of the 6th Brigade, 2nd Division. On 13 August 1914, Robert landed with the 1st Berkshires at Rouen, France. The 2nd Division took part in the Battle of Gheluvelt, from 29 to 31 October 1914. They held the line east of Zonnebeke, between Broodseine and the Polygon Wood. On the morning of the 30th, about 6 o’clock, the Germans artillery started shelling the positions of the 6th Infantry Brigade. Half an hour later they launched a strong attack.
The 1st Berkshires were in the reserve dug-outs at Molenaarelsthoek, a hamlet shielded from the frontline by the Broodseinde Ridge. They were shelled all day, suffering eleven casualties. Private Robert Henry Parker, 27-years-old, was killed on 30 October 1914. He has no known grave and he is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial.
When the War broke out, Robert was serving with the 1st Battalion, which was garrisoned at Aldershot, Hampshire. The battalion was under command of the 6th Brigade, 2nd Division. On 13 August 1914, Robert landed with the 1st Berkshires at Rouen, France. The 2nd Division took part in the Battle of Gheluvelt, from 29 to 31 October 1914. They held the line east of Zonnebeke, between Broodseine and the Polygon Wood. On the morning of the 30th, about 6 o’clock, the Germans artillery started shelling the positions of the 6th Infantry Brigade. Half an hour later they launched a strong attack.
The 1st Berkshires were in the reserve dug-outs at Molenaarelsthoek, a hamlet shielded from the frontline by the Broodseinde Ridge. They were shelled all day, suffering eleven casualties. Private Robert Henry Parker, 27-years-old, was killed on 30 October 1914. He has no known grave and he is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial.
Sources 5
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British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), WO 372). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG13). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911 (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), RG14). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Royal Berkshire Regiment (The National Archives, Kew (TNA), British Army war diaries 1914-1922, WO 95/1361/1). https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Sources used |
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Wyrall Everard. The History of the second Division, Vol.I 1914-1916 (Uckfield: The Naval & Military Press Ltd), 132-133 Sources used |
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1623306 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=23b62430-35e8-42ec-8f6e-dbe72016a507 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/3392440 |