PARKES, Sydney Ernest
| Service Numbers: | 144, 188 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 10 September 1914, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 6th Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Straffordshire, England, 1 January 1879 |
| Home Town: | Waitara, Ku-ring-gai, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Balmain Superior School |
| Occupation: | Wool classer/Chemist |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Gallipoli, 24 May 1915, aged 36 years |
| Cemetery: |
Shrapnel Valley Cemetery, Gallipoli II D 5 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Hornsby War Memorial |
Boer War Service
| 1 Oct 1899: | Involvement Sergeant, 144, 1st New South Wales Mounted Rifles |
|---|
World War 1 Service
| 10 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 188, 6th Light Horse Regiment, Sydney, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Dec 1914: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 188, 6th Light Horse Regiment, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '2' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Suevic embarkation_ship_number: A29 public_note: '' | |
| 21 Dec 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Sergeant, 188, 6th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Suevic, Sydney | |
| 24 May 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 188, 6th Light Horse Regiment, ANZAC / Gallipoli |
The only Australian who died during the Armistice of 24th May
Sidney is an interesting story. He was a Boer War veteran who was well respected by the men in his unit. On the 24th of May 1915. The allies and Turks agreed upon an armistice to bury the thousands of Turks and the ANZACs who lie in No Mans Land since the landing on 25th April. The Brits weren't keen on an official armistice and there had been a few 'unofficial' armistices leading up to this, the first and only official.
Of course there were rules laid out by both sides for the day. One such rule was that no combatant could use any Observation Posts during the event. For some reason only known to Sgt. Sid, he decided to access an OP to get a better view of the collection and burials of the combatants. A Turkish sniper, well aware of the rules spotted Sid and fired a deadly and accurate shot, possibly to just scare off whoever was in the OP. Unfortunately the shot went through the iron loophole and killed Sid instantly.
The death almost brought the armistice to an end but cooler heads prevailed and the important work continued until late that afternoon. I visit Shrapnel Valley many times during the year and tell his story at his grave.
Roachie
Submitted 24 February 2025 by Craig Roach
Sid.
Harold Begg Cashman's wife Eve writes in My Recollections..
When the Great War commenced in 1914 my uncle Sid, who fought in the Boer War, enlisted in the 6th Light Horse regiment.
Uncle Sid use to come and see us and called Miriam and I his two wives. When he was leaving the house Miriam and I would sit at the window and he would say.."Watch me run like 14 devils down the track and through the bush".
Submitted 28 July 2016 by Mark Tucker
Biography contributed by Faithe Jones
Son of Ebenezer and Matilda PARKES.
Also known as "Sidney"
Click images to start slideshow.