PARKER, Richard
| Service Number: | WX3840 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 1 June 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/28th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Preston, England, 22 July 1908 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Accidental, At sea (Nino Bixio), Mediterranean Sea, 17 August 1942, aged 34 years |
| Cemetery: |
El Alamein War Cemetery, Marsa Matruh, Egypt Col 94, |
| Memorials: | Alamein Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Private, WX3840 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jun 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, WX3840, 2nd/28th Infantry Battalion |
Help us honour Richard Parker's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Cherilyn McMeekin
Richard was the fourth of seven children born to Arthur and Jane in Preston, Lancashire. His youngest brother died in infancy. The family emigrated to Western Australia and lived in Maylands.
Two of his three surviving brothers also enlisted in WWII. Eldest brother Thomas (WX5347) was a POW in Germany.
Richard was one of 41 Australian POWs killed when the Italian transport ship Nino Bixio was torpedoed by a British submarine in the Mediterranean on 17 August 1942. The Nino Bixio was transporting Allied POWs from Libya to Italy. Of the 122 Australian POWs to survive the incident, four died later by execution. Most of the Australian casualties were from the 2/28th Infantry Battalion.