Medal Index Card
Northern Daily Mail Sat. 4th Sept. 1915
Northern Daily Mail 28th February 1916
James Alfred Parkinson was born on the 1st February 1897 in Hartlepool and baptised on the 25th February at St. Paul’s Church. His parents were John George Parkinson (1868-1925) and Lucy Ann Heywood/Haywood (1871-1957) who married on the 4th June 1892, also at St. Paul’s Church. John George and Lucy Ann were both born in Hartlepool.
The couple had eight children, John Joseph (born 1893), William Charles (born 1894), James Alfred (born 1897), Edward (born June 1898), Lawrence (born December 1900), Arthur (born March 1905), Mary Emma (born 5th November 1909) and finally Stanley who was born in September 1913 but sadly died in June 1915.
The family can be traced through the Census returns and are found in 1901 living in Pease Street in West Hartlepool. Father John George is working as a ships-plater and the couple have five children at this time. In the 1911 Census return the family have moved to 108, Alma Street, in West Hartlepool, and are living in 5 rooms with their larger household of seven children. Father John George is still working as a ships-plater, John Joseph is an apprentice joiner in the shipyard, William Charles is an apprentice riveter also in the shipyard and James Alfred is working as a Grocer’s errand boy. The four youngest children Edward, Lawrence, Arthur and Mary Emma are at school and at home (Stanley was born in 1913 after the Census was taken).
James Alfred joined the 6th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment, service number 10982, and his medal card shows he entered a theatre of war (2B-Balkans) on the 14th July 1915 with his Battalion.
Local newspaper reports give his rank as Drummer and indicate he joined up at West Hartlepool in August 1914 with his brothers William Charles and John Joseph. William’s attestation papers have survived however and give his date of enlistment as 7th September 1914. At the time of their enlistment James Alfred was 17, William Charles was 19 and John Joseph was 21 years old. James Alfred is also described in the newspaper as a well-known local boxer who fought under the name of Gus Parker, most likely as an amateur boxer.
In peacetime, boys who joined the army aged 14 to 17 were trained either as bandsmen or drummers (using Bugle, Drum and Fife). Previously the Victorian Army recruited boys as young as 12 and on reaching the age of 17½ they entered 'Men Service' and would transfer to 'Regiment of the Line' although some may have remained as drummers. These boys would have performed the daily routine of bugle calls signals that regulated the regimental day as well as performing at various ceremonial events. During WW1 approximately 4 such drummers/buglers would be attached to a rifle company (16 to a Battalion) and they would be employed as runners, orderlies and sometimes stretcher-bearers in addition to their bugle/drum function. Where possible they would be shielded from combat until they were older.
The 6th (Service) Battalion Yorkshire Regiment or Alexandra, Princess of Wales’s Own Yorkshire Regiment is probably better known today as the Green Howards. It was a Kitchener Battalion, raised in response to his appeal for volunteers and was formed at Richmond in August 1914 and joined the 32nd Infantry Brigade of the 11th Northern Division.
The Battalion trained at Belton Park near Grantham before moving to Witley Camp near Godalming in Surrey in April 1915, and received orders to prepare for service in Gallipoli soon after on the 12th June. They left Witley Camp in two parties of half-battalions on the 1st July for Liverpool to embark on the H.M.T.S. Aquitania, 135583, arriving at Mudros on the Mediterranean Island of Lemnos on the 10th July 1915 - having escaped a torpedo attack by a German submarine on route. According to the War Diary a total of 29 Officers & 935 other ranks disembarked the following day.
The Battalion were ultimately destined for Suvla Bay on the Aegean coast of Gallipoli to take part in the landings on the 6th and 7th August 1915 when the Allied forces launched a fresh attack against Turkish and German forces and the landing at Suvla Bay was part of the larger August Offensive in an attempt to take command of the Gallipoli Peninsula and take Ottoman Turkey, Germany’s ally, out of the war. Troops had first landed at dawn on the 25th April 1915 when Britain and France launched a naval and land attack with the aim of capturing Constantinople (present day Istanbul) but it was a military disaster as the allies had underestimated the Turkish forces. The British landed at Cape Helles and the Australian and New Zealand forces landed on the western Aegean coast (later known as Anzac Cove) and were met by fierce opposition, they were outnumbered and didn’t advance more than a few hundred metres from shore. Many deaths throughout the campaign occurred as a result of disease as conditions were insufferable with the heat, flies, vermin and the lack of water. Dysentery and enteric fever spread quickly as the terrain and close fighting did not allow for the dead to be buried. Anzac day on the 25th April remains one of Australia’s most important days of remembrance.
The later attack commenced on the morning of the 6th August when simultaneous assaults were to be launched on three fronts, with the Allied troops to take the area around Suvla Bay and link up with the Australian and New Zealand forces at Anzac Cove.
In the first action fought by a New Army unit, orders were issued for the Battalion to embark on two lighters (lighters were flat bottomed barges, generally used to transfer to and from moored ships) with 25 Officers and 750 other ranks. The 32nd and 33rd Brigade of the 11th Division were to land ashore at ‘B’ Beach’ south of Nibrunesi Point, the southern headland of the bay, and were to prepare to attack the hill Lala Baba. The orders were no loading, bayonet only.
'D' Company were to be in a separate lighter with Headquarters and were to be placed at the south end of the Salt Lake, forward of position to provide warning of the enemy. It was not known if the Salt Lake contained water at this time of the year, and the men carried 2 days iron rations (to last 4 days) along with 2 empty sand bags and full water bottles. No water was to be used during the night, as it wasn’t known when they could be renewed. The men also carried 220 rounds of ammunition.
They travelled light leaving their packs in favour of a haversack on their shoulders, and wore 2 white armbands. Everyone had a white patch sewn on to the corner of his haversack and a triangular piece of tin (cut from a biscuit box) was tied onto the corner. This had been found to be very effective in a line of infantry attacking hills as it shows up clearly like a heliograph and enables the gunners to support an attack very close to the enemy. They marched out at a quarter to four and loaded on to two lighters, which were towed by Destroyers also packed with troops. It was an extremely dark night and they travelled slowly as they approached the Peninsula. There were searchlights moving from the direction of Achi Baba, and as they neared the shore they were greeted with a burst of rifle fire.
Everything did not go to plan as the darkness of the night and the enemy fire caused confusion and chaos amongst the men and in the disorder the units became mixed up and the officers were unable to locate their positions or objectives. Soon the British troops became targets for snipers and as they carried out a number of charges up to and over the Turkish trenches, the enemy fired into their rear. A message was sent (but not received) to say that the Yorkshire Regiment had taken Lala Baba and occupied the trenches on the base of the north side commanding the further beach, but in doing so had lost nearly all of its officers: indeed the losses in the 6th battalion had been very heavy numbering 16 Officers and about 250 other ranks. Elsewhere men of the 34th Brigade had been prevented from landing as some lighters had grounded and couldn’t return to the destroyers to transport them. Those getting ashore had to wade, and groups landed in boats belonging to the ships while the enemy targeted the beaches where the landings were taking place. Lala Baba was eventually taken by the 9th West Yorks and the 6th Yorkshire Regiment early morning on the 7th August. However, the plan had been a disaster overall as the ANZAC’s could not break out of Anzac Cove and the British were pushed back and by August 10th the Turkish had retaken Suvla Bay. Confusion and indecision had caused delays, allowing the enemy to reinforce and any advantage had subsequently been lost. Gorse fires lit by hostile shell, lack of water, sickness and exhaustion were all to take their toll on the men over the course of the campaign, many of whom were inexperienced troops. In the December of the same year the Division was evacuated from Gallipoli and sailed to Egypt via Imbros.
The troops had been under the command of General Stopford who was consequently relieved of his position. Elderly and inexperienced, he was seen by many as incompetent and the reason for the failure of the campaign.
Private James Alfred Parkinson had been on active service less than a month when he was killed.
On the 7th August the 6th Battalion took up an outpost position on Hill 10 at midday. At 10am the following morning they moved forward to a position between Hill 53 and Sulajik and on the 9th August 1915 at 4am the Battalion moved back to Hill 10 to reorganise. At 12 noon orders were received to move forward quickly to Sulajik but the Battalion came under very heavy rifle fire and became divided, with part going into the reserve trenches by Brigade Headquarters and the other part advancing to the firing trench. Captain Chapman was wounded and there were 10 other casualties. On the night of the 9th the reinforcements were landed which had been left at Imbros, and the men occupied the trenches all the following day when 2nd Lieutenant S. Morris was killed and there were a further 5 casualties. Withdrawal came on the night of the 11th under heavy fire, with orders to reorganise on Lala Baba.
In total it is estimated the ill-fated campaign at Gallipoli had 265,000 Allied casualties and of the 213,000 British casualties, it is thought 145,000 were due to sickness.
James Alfred Parkinson was killed on the 8th August 1915.
The Northern Daily Mail Saturday 04/09/1915.
KILLED IN ACTION
Drummer James Alfred Parkinson, 6th Battalion Yorkshire Regt., son of Mr. J. G. Parkinson, of 108, Alma Street, West Hartlepool, was killed in action in Gallipoli on August 9. In a letter to Mr. Parkinson, Quartermaster-Sergeant Johnson expresses the deep sympathy of himself and his comrades. Mr. Parkinson has two other sons in the Services. One, Private Wm. Parkinson of the K.O.S.B., has been wounded in France; the other is in the A.O.C. at Alexandria. All three young men enlisted last August. Drummer Parkinson was a well-known local boxer under the name of 'Gus Parker'. A message of Royal sympathy has been received through Lord Kitchener.
James Alfred was one of five brothers who served:
John Joseph Parkinsonbelieved to have enlisted in the A.O.C. (the Army Ordnance Corps) service number 02029. He arrived in the Balkans on the 10th March 1915, and achieved the rank of Corporal. He was discharged to Class Z on the 5th June 1919.
William Charles Parkinsonenlisted in the 8th Battalion King’s Own Scottish Borderers, service number 15927. William arrived in France on the 10th July 1915, and was badly injured when a shell exploded. He was consequently discharged on the 16th December 1916 due to his wounds and was issued with a silver war badge.
Northern Daily Mail 28/02/1916
WOUNDED
Mrs. Parkinson, of 108, Alma-Street, West Hartlepool, has received news that her son, Pte. Wm. Chas. Parkinson (21), of the K.O.S.B., has been wounded whilst in France. Writing of the incident, an officer says: 'I regret to have to inform you that your son, along with some others, was wounded by the explosion of a shell in the billet in which he had just arrived, and where he was eating his dinner. He has a fractured leg, and it is too early to know how the wound will affect the limb. He was selected for special work on account of his previous good efforts.' Prior to enlisting, Parkinson was an apprentice riveter at the Central Shipyard. One of his brothers was killed in Gallipoli and he has another brother serving with the Mediterranean forces.
Edward Parkinson joined the Royal Air Force on the 8th October 1917, age 19 years and 10 months, service number 98616. Edward was in France from the 14/1/1918 to 28/1/1919 and was then transferred to R.A.F. 'G' Reserve.
Lawrence Parkinsonbelieved to have enlisted in the Royal Engineers, service number 104077. Sapper Parkinson was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal for his services in the Great War.
Research : Jean Atkinson/James Pasby
James Alfred Parkinson is remembered at West Hartlepool on W111.54 in W111.86 page 29, and at Hartlepool in H115.30 page 34
