Private 1366 Howard Parker
Killed in Action on Thursday, 22nd October 1914, age 26.
Commemorated on Panel 8 of Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.
2nd Bn., Royal Warwickshire Regiment. 22nd Brigade of 7th Division.
Son of Mr Joseph and Mrs Anne Parker, of 18 Upper Chapel Street, Tividale, Tipton, Staffs.
Born: Tipton, Enlisted: Dudley, Resident: Tipton.
First landed France & Flanders, 4th October 1914.
Medal entitlement: 1914 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal.
Soldier's Papers at National Archives did not survive.
Not commemorated on any Tipton memorial.
Commemorated here because identified as Tipton on 'Soldiers Died in the Great War'.
Link to Commonwealth War Graves Site: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1623283/
Genealogical Data
Birth of Howard Parker registered September quarter 1888 in Dudley.
1891 Census
25 Chapel Street, Tipton, Staffs.
Joseph Parker (30, "Jumper" (Acrobat) at Music Hall, born Dudley), his wife Anne (28, born Tipton), and their 6 children: Joseph (13, Scholar, born Dudley), Ketoria (9, Scholar, born Dudley), Priscilla (7, Scholar, born Leeds), William (5, Scholar, born Leeds), Howard (2, born Tipton), and Florrie (2 months, born Tipton).
1901 Census - No trace of Howard, he was not recorded living with his family.
Coneygree Road, Tipton, Staffs.
Joseph Parker (42, Professional Jumper, born Dudley, his wife Anne (41, born Tipton), and their 5 children: Joseph (14, Labourer (Brickworks), born Methley, Yorkshire), Florrie (7, born Tipton), Nellie (6, born Methley, Yorkshire), Rose (2, born Tipton), and James (3 months, born Tipton).
1911 Census
1st Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, Bombay, India.
Howard Parker (22, Private, Single, born Tipton).
1911 Census
47 Tipton Road, Tividale, Staffs.
Joseph Parker (51, Coal Miner (Hewer), born Dudley, his wife Anne (50, born Tipton), and 4 of their 9 surviving children of 12: Rose (14, born Tipton), James (10, School, born Tipton), Elizabeth (6, School, born Tipton), and Annie Parker (10, Adopted Daughter, School, born Tipton).
Personal Data
After Howard's death his outstanding Army pay and allowances amounted to £7/8/9d (7 pounds, 8 shillings and and 9 pence); this was paid to his father, Joseph, in November 1915. His War Gratuity amounted to £5/0/0d (5 pounds exactly), this was also paid to his father in July 1919. Howard was a serving Regular soldier at the outbreak of war.
Howard's father, Joseph, applied for Dependant's Pension. It would seem that this was at first refused (on 27th November 1919) but the records show that a Dependant's Pension of 10/0d (10 shillings) per week was paid from 23rd August 1919 to 26th November 1920. This almost certainly continued and was increased to 20/0d (20 shillings, or 1 pound) per week from 5th December 1922. Joseph died on 16th March 1923, and the Dependant's Pension transferred to Howard's mother, Anne.
Action resulting in his death
At the outbreak of war, the 2nd Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment (2/RW) was stationed in Malta. They returned to England during August 1914 and became one of the units of 7th Division built from Regular units of the British Army which had been stationed around the British Empire.
The 2/RW sailed on SS Cymric arriving in Zeebrugge, Belgium, on the 6th October. Their objective was to assist with the defence of Antwerp, but their arrival was too late to prevent its fall, and instead were directed to Ypres. After being taken by train to Ghent, they marched 50 miles over 5 days arriving in Ypres on the 15th October, then a further 4 miles north-east to Zonnebeke on the next day.
Once in place near Ypres the 7th Division were tasked with an advance towards Menin. These instructions from Sir John French were based on poor intelligence about the number of German troops in the area, and an over-optimistic view of British offensive capabilities at that time.
At 05.00hrs on 19th October, 2/RW began their advance from Becalare towards Menin, and attacked the enemy at Dadizeele. More German troops coming from Roulers (today Roeselare) forced the 2/RW to retire back to Zonnebeke. Here, on the 20th October, they entrenched and prepared for the impending German assault. Over the course of the 19th and 20th October, 5 Officers and 30 Other Ranks of the 2/RW had been killed.
At daybreak on the 21st October, the Germans attacked the 2/RW trenches, also giving the 2/RW their first experience of German High Explosive shells which became known as “Black Marias”. After taking a great many casualties during the day, the 2/RW retired at 01.00hrs on the 22nd October to a railway crossing south-west of Zonnebeke. Here they entrenched, and remained all day with only slight shelling, and left the trenches after dark for a day in reserve.
9 Other Ranks had been killed on the 21st October, and a further 4 Other Ranks killed on the 22nd. Howard Parker was one the latter 4 men, he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate in Ypres.
The situation facing the 7th Division for the next month was grave, by the time the first Battle of Ypres ended in late November, the 2/RWF had lost a further 150 Officers and Other Ranks killed.
Newspaper Cuttings
None.