BORN HULL 1885. SON OF ROBERT & EMILY PARKER OF 48 WAVELEY STREET, HULL. ENLISTED IN THE HULL PALS. REPORTED MISSING. HDM, 18/03/1919. *
Hull Pals Memorial Post. PRIVATE WALTER PARKER 3/5568. Born in Hull. Son of Kate Parker, of 12 Richmond Terrace, Waller Street, Hull (1911 Census). A Dock Labourer. He originally a member of the 3rd Battalion, Walter was killed in action defending the trenches near Ervillers from the Germans at the onset of their Spring Offensive on 24th March 1918. His body was never recovered and his name is commemorated on Bay 4-5 of the Arras Memorial to the missing. He is one of the twelve men sharing his name and born in Hull around that time our man is.The 10th were sent to reserve trenches at Ervillers on the 24th and found them only half finished. They had to dig in as quickly as possible using their entrenching tools, that they were spotted and had to do this under rifle and machine gun fire.Around 8.30pm on that night the Germans laid down an artillery barrage of such magnitude it was very clear an attack was imminent, and when the attack came two companies of the 10th were despatched to reinforce the 11th on their flank who were coming under heavy fire from a gap in the line which had been vacated by soldiers making a “self-imposed withdrawal”. I know too that Lieutenant Colonel Gurney issued an order that any man retiring to the rear without being ordered to, was to be shot and that in “one or two isolated cases” this order was carried out. And lastly, I know that somewhere in amongst all that confusion Walter and twelve of his comrades lost their lives.
