Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Arthur, a Christmas baby, arrived on the 27th December 1913 to parents Frederick Joseph Jnr and Eva Lena Parker at Glanville near Port Adelaide. (The name, Frederick was a family name passed down from Arthur’s grandfather and father.) Arthur had two younger brothers, William (Bill) and Gordon.
Life for those living and working on the wharfs was challenging and for Arthur’s grandfather, fatal. 54-year-old Frederick Joseph Snr, a lumper, worked as a hatchman. It was not unusual for the men to work shifts up to 24-hours in length. In June ’15, having been at work for 16 hours on the ship Indarra, Frederick gave an order to two winchmen at the hatch to heave in the empty chain sling. When the chain was level with the coamings of the hatch, it struck Frederick in the back, knocking him 35 feet down into the hold on to some pig iron. His injuries were horrific, including fractures to both legs and ribs, plus extensive internal injuries. An extensive inquest followed where it was claimed that Frederick was a ‘was a steady and reliable man accustomed to working long shifts’.
Road rules were strictly enforced and penalties comparatively heavy for those in breach. In an era where bike riding was the norm, 23-year-old Arthur and his friend were both fined 10/, with 10/ costs for riding at night without lights on their bicycles. Following the death of his 56-year-old father in April ‘35, Arthur fell in with some unsavoury company, ending up facing the Port Adelaide Police Court on a charge of stealing a bike which was then dismantled. His co-accused as ringleader, had many previous convictions, including larceny, unlawful possession, and assault and was subsequently jailed. Arthur, receiving no benefit from the theft and having no previous convictions, was fined £3 with 7/6 costs.
Arthur worked as a Truck Driver and joined the Militia as 544014 in the 43rd Battalion. However, with the outbreak of WWII and being unemployed at the time, aged 26 he enlisted to serve on the 5th July ‘40. He was allocated the number SX7957 and was placed in the newly formed 2/48th Battalion. Being unmarried, he nominated his widowed mother as his next of kin (Listing her name as Evalena).
Arthur’s early training was at Woodside in the Adelaide Hills before he had brief pre-embarkation leave, then boarded the Stratheden on the 17th November. It was a challenging voyage as he spent several days in the ship’s hospital early in December before arriving in the Middle East on the 17th.
Within days, Arthur contracted measles and pneumonia at Gaza Ridge. His health vacillated, being placed on, then removed from the ‘Seriously Ill’ List then ‘Dangerously Ill’ at the end of March. He died on the 1st April. Initially he was listed in the Adelaide News on the 27th March as being ‘Seriously ill’. It was not until the 16th April that the News updated the report, announcing ‘the death from illness of Pte. A. F. Parker. of Adelaide.’ He was just 27. The timing of Arthur’s death near the anniversary of his own father’s death was heartbreaking for the family who placed a tribute to both men in the Advertiser.
Advertiser Saturday 19 April 1941, PARKER. —In loving memory of my brother Fred, who died on the 19th of April, 1935; also the son of the above, Private A. F. Parker, who died on the 1st of April. 1941 abroad. —Inserted by Clara, George. Exeter.
Arthur was buried in the Gaza War Memorial Cemetery in Grave 13, Plot A, Row B the day following his death. The only South Australian in the immediate vicinity, he is surrounded by other soldiers from the 2/1st, 2/3rd, 2/5th, 2/6th, 2/9th, 2/14th and 2/23rd. His mother chose the inscription ‘Too Far Away Your Grave to See, But We Always Think of Thee’ for his headstone
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.