PARKER, William Rupert
| Service Number: | 13299 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 25 September 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Driver |
| Last Unit: | 1st, 2nd and 3rd Auxiliary Transport Companies |
| Born: | Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England, 16 August 1889 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Motor Driver |
| Died: | Mandurama, Carcoar, New South Wales, Australia, 29 September 1971, aged 82 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Carcoar Cemetery New South Wales, Australia |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 25 Sep 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Driver, 13299, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Auxiliary Transport Companies | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Dec 1916: | Involvement Driver, 13299, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Auxiliary Transport Companies, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '22' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Persic embarkation_ship_number: A34 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Dec 1916: | Embarked Driver, 13299, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Auxiliary Transport Companies, HMAT Persic, Melbourne | |
| 1 May 1919: | Transferred AIF WW1, Driver, 3 Motor Regiment, 3rd AMT Coy | |
| 18 Dec 1919: | Embarked AIF WW1, Driver, 13299, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Auxiliary Transport Companies, per SS Königin Luise | |
| 23 Mar 1920: | Discharged AIF WW1, Driver, 13299 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
William was the eldest of six children of George William Parker (born 1855 in Derbyshire, England) and Elizabeth Sheard (born 1858 in Yorkshire, England). George was a Mining Engineer when he married Elizabeth in 1887 in Derbyshire, and they settled in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire until 1899 when Elizabeth divorced George and took custody of the children. Elizabeth and some of the children lived with her parents for a while, and the other children boarded at a Children's Home.
William and his younger brother Claud were Furniture Dealers in Lancashire when they immigrated in 1912, arriving in Sydney, NSW on board the Persic - youngest brother Reginald (indentured into the Merchant Navy at 11 years of age) deserted ship in Sydney in 1912.
William was working as a Motor Driver/Chauffeur in Roseville, NSW when he enlisted in the AIF in September 1916. He served as a Driver (Service No:13299) with 1, 2 and 3 Auxiliary Transport Coys and took leave in July 1919, spending time with family at Manor Rd in Blackpool. He marryied Clara Mabel Purslow (born 1902 in Staffordshire) in October 1919 in Warwickshire. William intended returning to Australia at his own expense, but his leave was cancelled and he returned to Australia on board the SS Konigan Luise in December 1919. He was Discharged in March 1920. Brother Reginald (Private, AIF, Service No:2240 and Staff Sergeant, ACMF, Service No:N435839) served in WWI and WWII, and Brother-in-Law Charles Neville Crawshaw MC (British Army, Captain, Regimental No:18532) served in WWI.
William settled in Mandurama, Carcoar, NSW and worked as a Car Salesman until his death in 1971.