Sunday 2 June 2013

Frank Vlieland Parker

Brother of Percy Jerome Parker 
Births Mar 1875 Parker Frank Vlieland Norwich 4b 134
1881 census: Church Lane, Norwich Thorpe with parents 8 siblings and servant age 6


Marriages Mar 1909 PARKER Frank Veiland x Alice Emily Godden - Isle of Wight 2b 934
Alice Emily was born Sept 1891 Isle of Wight




1911 census: Frank V Parker Chief Petty Officer on board HMS Antrim age 36 Married
Record of RN Personnel Lost on Ship: HMS Cressy "Frank Virland Parker" Rank: CPO Royal Navy 154010 Birth Date: 9 Dec 1874 Place: Lakenham, Norfolk Death Date: 22 Sep 1914 - Relatives Notified Widow: Alice E, 20, Players St, Ryde, I of W
Cause of Death: Killed or died as a direct result of enemy action Body Not Recovered For Burial Official Number Port Division: 154010. (Ch)
Frank Vieland Parker Commemorated on Panel 1 of Chatham War Memorial. 
The Memorial overlooks the town of Chatham and is approached by a steep path from the Town Hall Gardens.



HMS Cressy launched in December 1899 but by 1914 they and the sister ships in their class had been placed in the Reserve Fleet with no money spent on them.

 Each ship had over 700 officers and men from the Royal Navy reserves, many being middle aged family men from local towns and villages.


Capable of 19 knots, after weeks of daily patrols, their old engines could no longer even maintain much more than 12 and often as low as 9. 
On 17 September, in rough seas, the destroyers were sent back to Harwich. 
On 20 September the Rear-Admiral returned to port with HMS Euryalus, reducing the patrol to three ships, Cressy, Aboukir and Hogue. 
They continued to patrol until sunrise on 22nd . All would be sunk by U Boat U9.


At 6:20 AM on 22 September, HMS Aboukir was torpedoed by SM U-9 and sank in 35 minutes. 

Thinking she had struck a mine, and sinking fast, the order was given to abandon ship. 
Hogue and Cressy approached to pick up survivors, throwing anything that would float into the water for the survivors to cling to.
At 6:55,Hogue was struck by two torpedoes. U-9 dived and remained submerged. 
At 7:20, Cressy sighted a torpedo track, and the order was given "full speed ahead both", too late. 
Cressy was hit forward on the starboard side, and lurched high enough out of the water that a second torpedo passed under her stern. 
At 7:30, a third torpedo hit Cressy on the port beam, rupturing tanks in the boiler room and scalding the men. 
Cressy rolled to her starboard side, paused, then went bottom up with her starboard propeller out of the water. 
She remained in this position for 20 minutes, then sank at 7:55.Cressy's boats had been sent to pick up survivors from the other two ships, and returned already loaded with men. 
As many as five men clung to a single life vest, and a dozen men to a single plank. 
A total of 837 men were rescued, but 1,397 men were lost.

More about the Cressy   and the people that lost their lives.

We received a mail from his great grandson Leonard J. Parker 
He told us that Frank Vlieland Parker had a son Leonard Percy Parker , from the Isle of Wight , who sadly died aged 28 at Dunkirk , France during WWII. 
His son is Leonard Frank Maurice Parker.
Frank Vlieland Parker's other son , George Vieland Parker ( no 'l' ) also lived on the Isle of Wight and died in his mid-90s. 
I always wondered where his name originated from , and thanks to your wonderful family history blog , I now have my answer !



So Frank Vlieland Parker had a son Leonard Percy Parker , from the Isle of Wight , who sadly died aged 28 at Dunkirk , France during WWII.
His son is Leonard Frank Maurice Parker .
And his son send us a mail and pictures
Frank Vlieland Parker's other son ,George Vieland Parker ( no 'l' ) also lived on the Isle of Wight and died in his mid-90s at age of 97.

Thanks Len for this information and pictures

The other sons name is George Vieland Parker and he is born on the Isle of Wight June 1910 (free BMD)His marriage to Phyllis M.M. Cotton was in December 1938

Leonard Percy Parker is born June 1913.He married in Dec 1938 and died aged 28 at Dunkirk.


And there is also a Kenneth Wallace .Parker born Sept 1914




more about the Cressie













His middle name has changed He is Frank Vieland Parker .



1938 wedding photo George Vieland Parker born on the Isle of Wight June 1910 (free BMD)His marriage to Phyllis M.M. Cotton was in December 1938 
with his brother Len Percy Parker back left , and their mother Alice Parker neé Godden front left.




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