Pte. Alf Parker . British Army 11th Btn. Special Air Service from Sheffield My father Alf Parker was captured during Operation Colossus in 1941 and was sent to P.G. 78 at Sulmona. He managed to escape and returned home.
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LAC. Arthur William Henry Parker . Royal Air Force 40 Sqd. from London Arthur Parker served overseas in Egypt and Italy from 11/2/42 until 30/12/45 with MEF and CMF. He was an Armourer. He died in 1995 and did not speak a lot about his experiences. We have his Service & Release Book, his Medals and an album of old photographs from his service period.
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Stok1. Arthur "Grey" Parker . Royal Navy HMS Excellent from 15 Rowley House, Watergate Street, Deptford My granddad, Arthur Parker or Pop as I always called him, was in the Royal Navy during the WW2. He was a Stoker 1st Class, serving on HMS Excellent.
Pop lived at Rowley House in Deptford, London before the War with his wife Ellen, nee Lloyd, and their young daughter Jean Ellen who was born September 1936 at Church Street, Deptford.
I have naval rating railway tickets, paid by the Admiralty, third class of course. Pop had leave from 14 December 1945 to 17 December 1945. I suspect this was to visit my father who was born at the end of November 1945.
On Pop's Trade Certificate it states his character was very good during his service and everything else including duties were satisfactory. Signed by the captain of HMS Excellent.
I have a photograph of all HMS Excellent crew from this period. Pop is standing in the back row, fifth in from the left. His best friend, Joe Williams, is also in the photo, second in from the right standing by a man with glasses. Arthur's son called him Uncle Joe although no relative I'm sure. Such was the close friend's relationship.
Pop needed his friends as during the war his young daughter Jean had been evacuated out of war torn London and the Blitz. Especially as the docks were close to their home and was being bombed constantly.
Jean was four years old evacuated to Penygraig in the Rhondda, Wales. While staying here Jean had scarlet fever and sadly died in the Isolation Hospital, Ystrad, Wales 31st January 1941. Arthur the informant on her death certificate. Unfortunately, due to the war her body could not be transported back to London and Deptford for burial.
She was interred at 3.15pm Valentine's Day 1941 with the widow of the neighbour of her address in Penygraig, Wales. So Jean lay in the arms of Elizabeth Llewelyn who had been buried there in 1936. Later her husband Thomas Llewelyn would be buried in the same grave.
My grandfather, Arthur, needed his friends like Joe after the war for support I'm sure for both himself and his wife Ellen. There were many horrors of war, what he saw, witnessed at home and at sea.
I'm proud of all the people who suffered or gave their lives for our freedom. RIP.
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Cpl. Bert Parker . Royal Canadian Air Force 420 Squadron
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Able Sea. Bertie Parker . Royal Navy HMS Newcastle from Sheffield Bertie Parker served in HMS Newcastle. I have two certificates dated December 11th 1940 when his ship sailed in longitude 17 west, known as crossing the line of the equator. A further certificate for sailing in longitude 17 west dated 18th March 1942.
My father told me that the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were sighted and Scharnhorst signalled the message: follow me.
My father applied and served in submarines. I would be interested in finding out his navel history.
Finally I know he was at Loch Ryan after the German surrender and he has photographs of the German U-boat U-680.
I researched the U-boat captained by Max Ulber, no kills and was sunk eventually by British destroyers as target practice.
I look forward to hearing from anyone who remembers him as I am the only member of my family left.
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F/O. Bill Parker . Royal Air Force 514 Sqd. from Barnsley My brother-in-law of Bill Parker was a rear gunner. A book written by His Honour Judge S.S. Gill, Galdersby, Thirsk in 1984 tells a story of his crew.
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CA Parker . British Army Royal Armoured Corps CA Parker served with the Royal Armoured Corps British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project are no longer in touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Dvr. Clifford Parker . British Army My Uncle Dvr Clifford Parker was POW 13806. I have a picture of him and 44 other men on stage at what apears to be a christmas show. Clifford is first on left and Sam Kidd the actor believed to be sixth from left middle row.
I would love to identify the rest of the men and be able to get a picture to those who would like one and would love to hear from anyone interested. The address on back of card is Stalag XXB (E.14)
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Ord Sea. Cyril Parker . Royal Navy HMS Spartan from Stratford, Essex (d.13th February 1944) Cyril Parker is my father's older half brother.
His mother had him in 1925 when she was just 15. Consequently, he went into foster care with a Mr & Mrs T Youngman in Stratford, Essex. She then went onto marry and have 3 more children (my father being the middle child).
My father remembers when he was just 10 yrs old, his mother receiving the news that Cyril had died during an air raid at sea. Cyril was just 19 yrs old.
It has taken us until now to really find out what happened to him as my father always thought that Cyril had gone down with the HMS Hood, obviously those records never showed a Cyril Parker or Cyril Youngman.
Its so nice after all these years to know what happened to my Uncle.
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D Parker . British Army 3/4th Sqd. County Of London Yeomanry D Parker served with the 3/4th Sqd. County Of London Yeomanry British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project are no longer in touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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D Parker . British Army 3rd Btn Royal Tank Regiment D Parker served with the 3rd Btn Royal Tank Regiment British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project are no longer in touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Pte David Edward "Skittler" Parker . British Army 2nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry from Sandhurst, Berkshire
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DHC Parker . British Army 15/19th Hussars DHC Parker served with the 15/19th Hussars British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project are no longer in touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Edward George Lancelot Parker . Royal Air Force mid upper gunner 106 Sqd. (d.30th Aug 1944)
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Eileen Parker . Women's Land Army
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EL Parker . British Army 6th Btn. Royal Tank Regiment EL Parker served with the 6th Btn. Royal Tank Regiment British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project are no longer in touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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F/Lt. Eric Parker . Royal Air Force 150 Squadron (d.10th May 1940) Flight Lieutenant (Pilot) Eric Parker is buried in the Luxembourg (Hollerich) Communal Cemetery in Luxembourg.
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Pvt. Eugene Parker . US Army Headquarters Battery 172nd Field Artillery Battalion (d.22nd Sept 1944)
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Eugene Shurleigh "Buster" Parker . Royal Canadian Air Force 428 Squadron from Petrolia, Ontario, Canada My father, Eugene Parker was a member of the ground crew at Middleton St George. He wouldn't speak about the war much at all. He told me years later the reason was because so many of the guys he became friends with never came back from their bombing missions. I understand from other documentaries that 428 (Ghost) Squadron got their name from sustaining such terrific losses. Losing on average 5 crewman per sortie.
His job was to work on the Lancasters after each mission getting them ready for the next.
Dad told me that he spent almost 2 years at Middleton St George then onto the Azores then back to Nova Scotia where they trained to go to Japan. However the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended the war before they went.
He also told me that on the flight home to Canada he rode in the lower section of the plane under the pilots in the front gunner section. As they flew low over ice fields he could see polar bears on some of the icebergs.
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Frank Norman Parker . British Army Royal Warwickshire Regiment from Coventry Frank Parker was my granddad. He was captured at Dunkirk while serving with The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, who were given the task of defending the beaches during the mass evacuation of the British Expeditionary Forces in June 1940, and taken to Stalag XXB. He learned to speak and write in German and Polish while at the camp and kept a diary which briefly reveals some of the work he was forced to do, including one entry that wearily states “still plumbing”.
He remained at Stalag XXB with thousands of other captured soldiers until January 1945 when the camp was evacuated to prevent the POWs being liberated and armed by the advancing Red Army. My granddad, like thousands of other POWs from camps across East Prussia and Poland, were then forced to march towards Germany. He was eventually liberated by American soldiers just outside Berlin on 11th of April 1945. During the Death March to Berlin, my granddad collected the dog tags of dozens of soldiers who had died and handed them into the British Army when he got back to Britain in May 1945. For many years after the war parents, siblings, wives and girlfriends of the soldiers who had died visited or wrote to my granddad asking about what had happened to their loved ones.
After the war my granddad returned to his home city of Coventry and was reunited with my Nan. In addition to my Aunty Anne, who was born in 1939, they had two more children, Uncle Frank and David (my dad). They had 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren, including my daughter Grace and son William.
On 28 October 2019, my wife and I were privileged to visit the Stalag XXB memorial and the nearby Commonwealth War Cemetery to honour the thousands of brave soldiers who were imprisoned alongside my granddad and remember the sacrifices they made.
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Lead.Sea. Frederick James "Lofty" Parker . Royal Navy HMS Howe from Portsmouth My Father Frederick Parker joined the Royal Navy aged 16 in 1916, served mostly on destroyers.Served during Spanish Civil war, Abyssinian campaign, due out 1939. Leaving HMS Hereward transferred to HMS Antelope, after she was damaged, to HMS Anthony. Wounded on Russian Convoys. Then on to HMS Howe. Served on Italian Landings, then on to Pacific with American fleet until end of war. Demobbed and worked at Whale Island.
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Stoker Frederick Martin Parker . Royal Navy from Clare, Sufolk
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G Parker . British Army Royal Armoured Corps G Parker served with the Royal Armoured Corps British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project are no longer in touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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G Parker . British Army Yorkshire Hussars G Parker served with the Yorkshire Hussars British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project are no longer in touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Sgt. George Frank "Gert" Parker . South African Army from Durban, South Africa I always knew that my father had been in a prisoner of war camp in Germany, and heard a few stories but didn't know a great deal. I had a childhood friend who lived a few blocks away from us, and for some reason throughout our childhood our parents never met. We'd known each other for years, and when I was about 15, I was visiting her and there was a great thunderstorm. I usually walked home, but I rang my Dad and asked him to come and fetch me. We heard the doorbell ring, and heard my friend's father answer the door. We heard a shout and then strange scuffling sounds and were terribly alarmed to see our fathers in each others' arms and crying.
Our fathers had both served in Stalag 8a. My father, Gert (or possibly known as George) Frank Parker, was with the South African Forces, and I think he was a sargent. My friend's father was Horace Lee, and was with the British Army. They had been best friends during their time in the camp. They both had photographs of each other, and Horace had done drawings of all his friends including my father.
When the war was over, Horace went back to England and my father returned to Durban in South Africa. They completely lost touch with each other. Both married, and Horace came to live in Johannesbury, South Africa with his wife, not knowing where to even look for my father, knowing my father lived somewhere in Durban. However, by that time, my father and his family had moved to Cape Town, and then South Africa, not knowing that they were both living a few blocks apart! As you can imagine, they made up for lost time and saw each other each week until my father died in 1979. Horace died a few years later.
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Gerry Parker DFM.. Royal Air Force 83 Squadron from USA American citizen Gerry Parker was a student at Oxford University at the outbreak of war and he subsequently joined the RAF as a mid-upper gunner. He served in 9 Squadron until February 1944 when he transferred to 83 Pathfinder Squadron. He was awarded the DFM. He transferred to the US 8th Army Air Corps in June 1944.
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GH Parker . British Army GH Parker served with the British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project are no longer in touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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GH Parker . British Army Royal Armoured Corps GH Parker served with the Royal Armoured Corps British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project are no longer in touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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Glyn James Parker . Army Royal Engineers My father, Glyn James Parker, was at Teschen, Stalag 8B, POW No 6811.
He was a driver with the Royal Engineers, captured at Dunkirk, and was held until March 1945. I would be very grateful for any information from anyone, as he did not talk a lot about his imprisonment at Stalag 8B.
Alan Parker
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H Parker . British Army Royal Armoured Corps H Parker served with the Royal Armoured Corps British Army. I have his unissued dogtags, made in preparation for deployment to the Far East and would love to get them home to his family. I am happy to cover all costs. If you are a family member or can put me in touch with them please get in touch. Update: Unfortunately The Wartime Memories Project are no longer in touch with Dan, his website, facebook page and email have all ceased to function. But if you can add any details about the person listed, please use the add to record link below.
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