Hero laid to rest after a century
Burial with full military honours 100 years on
Private Henry Parker of The Yorkshire Regiment has finally been laid to rest a century after sacrificing his life for his country in the Battle of the Somme. He died just three days before his 23rd birthday.
HE SACRIFICED his life for his country in what the remains the bloodiest episode British military history – the Battle of the Somme.
Now, Private Henry Parker has finally been laid to rest after his body was found a century later in a farmer’s field in France.
The soldier, who was a member of the 5th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, was killed in action on September 26, 1916, just three days before his 23rd birthday.
Yesterday, he was given a burial with full military honours at the Warlen-court British Cemetery, near the French city of Arras, which was attended by 20 members of his family, including his great niece, Pat Burton.
Speaking at the ceremony, which saw soldiers from The Yorkshire Regiment provide a bearer party and fire a salute, she said: “It is a great honour for us to be here today to pay our respects to a great uncle, Private Henry Parker. We would like to thank the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC) of the Ministry of Defence for inviting us to the burial ceremony here in Warlen-court, and feel very humble to be part of this occasion and extremely proud of our great uncle.”
Margaret Parker, niece of Private Parker, added: “Since the news that Uncle Henry has been found, I have had the honour and privilege to not only catch up with relatives I did know, but also to meet others for the first time. We have been brought together through the brave actions of Uncle Henry, who, 100 years ago, gave his life for us and all that we hold dear. I would like to thank all who have been involved, having given time and unstinting efforts to reunite uncle Henry with us, his family, and bring us some closure.” The service, organised by the JCCC, was conducted by the Rev Jonathan Wylie CF, chaplain to the 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment. Beverley Simon, from the JCCC, said: “It has been an honour to organise today’s ceremony and to ensure this brave soldier has been buried with the dignity and respect he deserves. It has been a privilege to have met Private Parker’s family and to personally involve them with the planning of his burial.”
Private Parker was born in the small hamlet of Weaverthorpe, in the Yorkshire Wolds. The greater part of his service was holding the frontline with his Battalion in the Ypres Salient area. It was not until August 1916 that his Battalion was redeployed from Flanders, along with the other units of the 50th (Northumbrian) Division, to the Somme. Private Parker was killed during an incremental advance towards the ‘Flers’ enemy trench from the ‘Starfish’ line. Private Parker’s brothers, James and Thomas Parker, who had both seen active service during the Great War, returned home safely.
In 2014, the remains of Private Parker were discovered in a farmer’s field on the outskirts of Matinpuich, Nord-Pas-de-Calais. Military insignia helped identify the soldier.
A headstone was provided by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
We feel extremely proud of our great uncle. Private Henry Parker’s great niece, Pat Burton
PRIVATE HENRY Parker was just another grim statistic when he was killed in the Battle of the Somme, the fate of the Yorkshire soldier unknown until his remains were discovered nearly a century later in a farmer’s field in France and successfully identified thanks to advancements in DNA technology which had not even been discovered when the First World War still raged.
Yet the very fact that the 22-year-old, from Weaverthorpe, could finaly be buried in a simple service with full military honours is testimony to the remarkable – and often unheralded – work of the Ministry of Defence’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre which attempts to trace family members when remains are found. Without this work, ably assisted by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission which continues to maintain cemeteries and burial sites to an exemplary standard, selfless heroes like Private Parker would still be lying in unmarked graves with their stories of sacrifice untold.