Source: April 1917 casualty.
Private Thomas Parker, reg. no. 195745. Contributed by Deryck Robertson.
Pte. Thomas Parker’s family, taken in Hastings, Ontario, between 1912 and 1917. He’s the boy on the left of the picture, back row. The boy on the right of the back row also served. Contributed by 18th Battalion Facebook Group member Deryck N. Robertson.
Summary of Service for Private Thomas Parker, reg. no. 195745
| Date | Event | Remarks |
| October 21, 1895 | Born | Born at Crexton, Ontario, Canada. The reference to “Crexton” is obscure and may be a spelling mistake. A medical record in this file indicates that he was born at “Croxton, England”. |
| January 2, 1916 | Enlisted in C.E.F. | He enlisted in Peterboro [Peterborough], Ontario with the 93rd Battalion. |
| January 3, 1916 to July 31, 1916 | 93rd Battalion | Training with the 93rd Battalion. He is assigned to “D” Company. There are no demerits or any punishments on his record. |
| June 28, 1916 | Anti-Typhoid Injection | |
| July 1916 | Assigns Pay | Private Parker assigns pay to his mother, Mrs. J. Parker, at the rate of $20.00 per month. As a private he would earn $1.00 a day plus 0.10 a day for overseas service. |
| July 5, 1916 | Anti-Typhoid Injection and Vaccinations | |
| July 15, 1916 | Embarks ship for England | Leaves Halifax, Nova Scotia aboard the S.S. Empress of Britian. |
| July 25, 1916 | Arrives England | Arrives at Liverpool, England. |
| September 15, 1916 | Transferred to the 18th Battalion. | Leaves England for the Canadian Base Depot in France. |
| September 16, 1916 | Arrives France | Arrive at C.B.D. and, after almost a month, transfers to the 18th Battalion, in the field. |
| October 3, 1916 | Arrives 18th Battalion at the Somme. | Private Parker was on of sixty-six replacements to arrive at the Somme on that date. The 18th Battalion war diary relates: “Battalion moved into reserve at SAUGAGE VALLEY. LIEUT. L.A. BISSELL taken on as reinforcement from 28.9.16. LIEUT. A.E. COCK and 3 wounded, 9 o.r.s. admitted to hospital. 66 o.r.s. arrived as reinforcements.” The battalion |
| November 21, 1916 | G.S.W. wound to right thigh. Attended to at No. 5 Canadian Field Ambulance. | G.S.W. is a generic term relating to the wound. It does not, necessarily mean, a gunshot wound. The War Diary relates: “Position quiet. Four patrols covered whole frontage and a Protective patrol remained out until dawn. Enemy working party was dispersed by our Lewis guns. 1 o.r. wounded admitted to hospital.” |
| November 23, 1916 | Moves to No. 4 Canadian Field Ambulance. | |
| December 8, 1916 | Returns to Battalion | After a two-week recuperation, Private Parker returns to the Battalion. The Battalion has moved from the Somme Sector to the Calonne Sector. |
| April 13, 1917 | Killed in Action | After surviving service at the Somme, Calonne, and then at Vimy and participating in that attack on April 9, 1917. The War Diary makes not mention of casualties on that date but the Battalion was actively engaged in combat: “Strong daylight patrols from H.Q. and Coy scouts pushed out and [succeeded] in penetrating beyond railway track (LENS/ARRAS Rly.) no enemy were encountered and our observers reported parties of Germans seen retiring along the roads between VIMY AND WILLERVAL. Parties disappeared from view at MONT FORET Quarries. Parties did not appear to be evacuating villages and were seen to be digging in, in front of ACHERVILLE. These facts were immediately reported to Brigade H.Q. and we were ordered to establish outpost 400 yds in font of the railway track, which was done under the direction of Lieuts. Eastwood and Parsons.” |
| April 19, 1917 | Interred | Buried at B.1.C.5.6. Sheet Thelus N.E. Grave Serial No. CB-23 per the Canadian Corps [Graves] Registration Officer. |
| June 20, 1919 | Reburied at the Bois Carre British Cemetery located on Vimy Ridge at the eastern edge of the town of Thelus, France. The cemetery is about 6 kilometres from Canada’s Vimy Memorial. | Private Parker’s is moved from his original resting place to join 449 other identified casualties. He is buried with 2 other brother soldiers of the 18th Battalion. Privates A. Goodman and S. Rosenes. |
Certificate of Service for Private Parker. Contributed by 18th Battalion Facebook Group member Deryck N. Robertson.
“Killed in Action”
Grave Marker – The grave marker at the Bois Carre British Cemetery located on Vimy Ridge at the eastern edge of the town of Thelus, France. The cemetery is about 6 kilometres from Canada’s Vimy Memorial. May he rest in peace. (John & Anne Stephens 2013). Source: CVWM The epitaph reads “PEACE PERFECT PEACE” and is attributed to Mr. T. Parker of Hastings, Ontario, Canada.
