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as filthy as I feel, black with dust and exposure. We still wear caps.
Isn't it sad about the Col. and Deane; they were both shot dead, not
wounded. I have to write early here as we neither have electric light
or candles in this trench, and go to bed and rise with the sun": and
the following day: "We had a vile night, an attack which lasted from
10.30 p.m. to 2 p.m. to-day. As usual we have caught it fairly hot.
Leigh and Reid were both killed during the night, and three more subs.
were wounded to-day. We were under awful shrapnel fire to-day in the
open. I feel a bit more filthy than usual; have not had my clothes or
boots off for fourteen days." He was wounded in the head on 6 May, or
as he puts it, "Got myself into trouble yesterday, and got a bullet
in my head, or very near it. It came in absolutely in the centre of
my cap (was fired from the right), and came out where the top of the
cap and the part that fits your head joins. I have had luck, because
on its way through it took a piece out of my head like a cheese scoop
down to the bone without damaging the skull. I could not at first make
out what had happened. I felt a huge bang on the head, as if a polo
ball had hit me, and asked the man next me, 'What on earth is that?'
'You're hit on the head, sir.' It began to bleed badly, so I went back
a little and got it tied up with the dressing you had sewn in my coat.
I was hit at noon, but commanded my company till dark." He was able to
rejoin on 3 July, and after being continuously in action since landing,
the 2nd Hants were sent to Lemnos for rest and refreshment on 7 July.
Here they were joined by fresh drafts and returned to Gallipoli on 28
July, about 900 strong. They remained "on the beach" eight days and
then moved up to the front trenches--the intention being to create a
diversion in the Southern part of the peninsula whilst a new attack was
made at Suvla Bay, six or seven miles to the north. The 2nd Hants were
told on the evening of 5 Aug. that they would go up next day, and all
were in excellent spirits. Cooks were sent on to prepare food, etc.,
and at 5.30 a.m. on Aug. 6 the advance began, the force going up the
communication trenches, and the distance from the front trench being
about three or four miles, and Achi Baba being about three-quarters
mile distant. The trenches were close to the village of Krithia and
very near the great Gully. By 7 a.m. the 2nd Hants had occupied three
lines of trenches, having on their right the 4th Worcesters, and on
their left the 1st Essex. The front Turkish trench ran forward at an
angle and was about 50 yards distant on the left and 100 yards more on
the right. The space between the opposing trenches was swept by gun
fire from a distance, as well as from the trenches themselves. It was
known that an attack on the Turkish trenches would be made at 4 p.m.,
and until that time many of the force rested. The General sent up an
encouraging message to the Hants saying that this would be the last
time he would call upon them to make a great charge. Exactly at 4 p.m.
Capt. Parker, who was in command, called out: "Time's up, my lads," and
those in the first trench immediately leapt out, those in the second
at once taking their places and leaping out a minute later, and those
in the third doing the same. All were well up in a good deal less then
five minutes, and with a cheer they rushed forward. It was a glorious
charge, and every one showed splendid courage. The Turks were startled,
and took a minute or two--not much more--to get their machine-guns (of
which they had one for about every five yards, and which during the
bombardment they had hidden in the trenches) into position, so that
our men got some way across the open space. Apparently, however, none
reached the Turkish trench. All were mown down. Of the second line, a
few got across. Of the third line, which had fewer men, more than half
got through, and those who were left of the battn. held the trench
until they were relieved by the Royal Scots and Royal Fusiliers. A
private said positively that the Turks were driven from their front
trench which remained in our hands, as perhaps did some others. The
open ground was so heavily swept by gun fire that it was impossible
to bring in the wounded or the dead, even at night. Some may have
crawled in, but the severely wounded must have died. As none could be
recovered and identified, they were posted as missing. In the evening
of the 6th only 250 out of 900 of the Hants answered their names. It
was in this action that Capt. Parker was killed about 4 p.m. He had
gone forward out of the trench to direct a portion of the line and was
hit by a bullet in the left side; the bullet coming out near the left
breast was deflected by his cigarette case and again entered his body
and came out on his right side. He died four minutes afterwards with
his head resting on the leg of a lieutenant. He was brought back to
the dressing station, and buried at 7.10 a.m. on the following morning
in C. Communicating trench between the firing line and twelve tree
copse. He never spoke after he was hit, and was unconscious until he
died. He was carried to his last resting-place by men of the Battn. he
had commanded, and in which he was so much liked. A cross made by the
Royal Engineers marks the spot. Capt. Parker _m._ at St. George's
Cathedral, Cape Town, 5 April, 1913, Kathleen Lambert ("Lausanne,"
Leigh Road, Cobham, Surrey), dau. of Lawrence Newman-Walker of Cape
Colony, M.D., F.R.C.S., and had a son, Gerald Stewart, _b._
Indore, Central India, 3 April, 1914.
[Illustration: =Basil Stewart Parker.=]
=PARKER, BERTIE CLARENCE=, A.B., J. 10893, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost
in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.
=PARKER, CHARLES WILLIAM=, Private, R.M.L.I. (R.F.R.), Ch. 12829,
H.M.S. Hawke; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15
Oct. 1914.
=PARKER, CYRIL EDMUND=, 2nd Lieut., 6th (Reserve), attd. 2nd
Battn. King's Royal Rifle Corps, eldest _s._ of the Hon. Edmund
William Parker, of Westfield House, Rugby, by his wife, Fanny Emma,
dau. of Capt. William Baldwin, of Dunedin, and grandson of Thomas
Augustus, 6th Earl of Macclesfield; _b._ Christchurch, New
Zealand, 15 May, 1884; educ. Eton, and on leaving there joined the
London Stock Exchange in 1903, where he remained for 10 years; went to
British Columbia in 1913, and became a Financial Agent at Vancouver,
British Columbia, but on the outbreak of the European War in Aug.
1914, immediately proceeded to Vancouver and volunteered for Imperial
service. He obtained a commission in the 6th Regt., the Duke of
Connaught's Own Rifles, Vancouver, and proceeded to Valcartier with the
detachment from that regt. which, with detachments from other regts.
from the same province, eventually formed the 1st British Columbia
Regt., Canadian Expeditionary Force. Lieut. Parker qualified for the
rank of Lieut. while at Valcartier, but owing to there being a surplus
of officers in the regt., |