Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Four: Private W. H. Parker, Gloucestershire Regiment, a prisoner-of-war of the Germans, captured at Cassel on 29 May 1940; later at the battle of Imjin River.

1939-45 Star War Medal 1939-45, these unnamed; Korea 1950-53, 1st issue (5184771 Pte., Glosters) modern issue, this in named card box of issue; U.N. Korea 1950-54, unnamed; together with U.S.A. Unit Citation Bar, extremely fine (5)
£350-450

William Henry Parker was born on 6 February 1920. A Groom by occupation, he enlisted into the Gloucestershire Regiment on 16 January 1939. With the 2nd Battalion he embarked as part of the B.E.F. to France in October 1939. He was captured by the Germans at Cassel, near Dunkirk, on 29 May 1940. He was held at Stalag VII.B. at Teschen and Stalag 344 at Lamsdorf. Parker was released and returned to the U.K. in May 1945 and on 22 September 1945 he married Margaret Harvey at Cheltenham. In July 1946 he was transferred to Section ‘B’ Reserve. In November 1948 he enrolled for Section ‘A’ Army Reserve and rejoined the Gloucestershire Regiment in August 1950. With the 1st Battalion he served in Korea, being present at the Battle of Imjin River as part of B Echelon, 22 April 1951. Parker was able to escape capture and in September 1951 he embarked for U.K., being transferred to Class ‘Z’ Reserve in November 1951.

With a ‘Prisoner of War Post’ letter, unused, addressed to ‘Private William H. Parker, 10776, Stalag.VIIIB. E-3, Germany’, from ‘Mr and Mrs W. Parker, Great Washbourne, Beckford, Nr. Tewkesbury, Glos, England’; a commemorative picture supplement showing members of the Gloucestershire Regiment returning from the Korean war - Parker identified; three other photographs; together with a quantity of copied research including copied service papers and newspaper extracts bearing pictures of, quotes, and references to Parker.