PARKER, Cyril George


8448, Private, Cyril George PARKER
Aged 23


1st Battalion, Suffolk Regiment
Died in Captivity on Sunday, 26th September 1915

Cyril George PARKER was born in Balsham (Linton Q3-1892 3B:511) son of James and Julia PARKER (née LEONARD).

1901 census...Aged 8, he was at High Street, Balsham with his father James PARKER [40] horsekeeper; mother Julia [38] born Castle Camps; brother Leonard [14] farm labourer; sisters Mabel [11], Hilda [5] and Dorothy [3]. All except his mother were born in Balsham.

1911 census...Aged 18, a labourer, he was at High Street, Balsham with his widower father, now farm labourer; brother Leonard (farm labourer); sisters Mabel (housekeeper) and Hilda (general servant). One sibling of the 6 had died. His mother died in 1902, aged 39.


Cyril enlisted at Haverhill.

The International Red Cross records have one card with his number but nothing else known (näheres unbekannt). Another card dated 31st July 1915 has no number but "Parker Cyrill - Sold..Suff.R...Zonnebeke..Barkam, so taken at Zonnebeke, home town Barkam which is almost certainly Balsham Unfortunately the card which usually give more exact details such as date of birth, how died and where buried is not available. The mention of Zonnebeke does not really help as the 1st Battalion spent June/July 1915 south of Ypres in the Kemmel area. The mention of Egypt on the Roll of Honour is more puzzling since the 1st battalion did not go to Egypt until after Cyril's death.

Originally buried in Giessen Military Cemetery and re-interred in 1924. Geissen is in Thuringia, SW of Leipzig and not far from the Czech border and was a large Prisoner of War camp in WW1. One of the "easier" ones it is said, used for propaganda at times.


photo: from the book "Three Times and Out" 1918 Nellie L. McClung






photo: Commonwealth War Graves Commission



Cyril Parker is buried in Niederzwehren Cemetery, Kassel, Germany, grave 3:A:12

click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details


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