Gilbert Parker

Memorial: Kingswood - Holy Trinity Church

Regiment: South Wales Borderers

Medals: 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Silver War Badge, Victory Medal

Rank and number: Private 8242

Parents: Mary and Alfred Parker

Home address: 168 Summerhill Road, St. George, Bristol

Pre-war occupation: Soldier

Date of birth: 1885

Place of birth: Bitton, Bristol

Date of death: 26/09/1914

Buried/Commemorated at: No known burial site but commemorated at La Ferte-Sous-Jouarre Memorial, Seine-et-Marne, France and Kingswood Holy Trinity Memorial

Age: 28

Further information:

Gilbert was born in Bitton, the son of a labourer and the second eldest of eight children with two brothers and five sisters. Gilbert began his working life as a shoemaker but by 1911 had signed up to be a soldier with the 1st Battalion, South Wales Borderers.

At the end of August 1914 Gilbert's regiment was mobilised to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force. They fought in the Battle of Mons which ended in a defeat for the allies. They then retreated and fought in The First Battle of Aisne (Sep 13, 1914 – Sep 28, 1914) during which Gilbert was killed in action just four weeks after setting foot in France. Gilbert was one of 13,500 allied casualties of this battle whose outcome was ultimately undecided. The Memorial on which Gilbert is remembered, commemorates 3,740 officers and men of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) who fell between the end of August and early October 1914 and who have no known graves.

By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):

This information has been provided by Sarah Hands, Volunteer Researcher for the South Gloucestershire War Memorials Web Site.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
https://www.cwgc.org/
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/