Charles Edward Haydon Parker
Encyclopedia
Charles Edward Haydon Parker VC
(10 March 1870 - 5 December 1918) was an English
recipient of the Victoria Cross
(VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
and Commonwealth
forces.
in 'Q' Battery, Royal Horse Artillery
, British Army
during the Second Boer War
when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC:
On 31 March 1900 at Sanna's Post
(aka Korn Spruit), South Africa
, 'Q' and 'U' Batteries of the Royal Horse Artillery were ambushed with the loss of most of the baggage column and five guns of the leading battery. When the alarm was given, 'Q' Battery went into action 1150 yards from the spruit, until the order to retire was received, when Major Phipps-Hornby
, commander of 'Q' Battery, ordered the guns and their limbers to be run back by hand to a safe place. This most exhausting operation was carried out by, among others, Sergeant Parker, Gunner Isaac Lodge
and Driver Horace Glasock
, and when at last all but one of the guns and one limber had been moved to safety, the battery was reformed. The citation reads:
Parker was elected by the non-commissioned officers as described above.
(VC
, CSI
, DSO & Bar
) also earned the VC in this action.
Parker rejoined the army and was seriously injured in World War I
.
.
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
(10 March 1870 - 5 December 1918) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
(VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of England
The Commonwealth of England was the republic which ruled first England, and then Ireland and Scotland from 1649 to 1660. Between 1653–1659 it was known as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland...
forces.
Details
Parker was 30 years old, and a sergeantSergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
in 'Q' Battery, Royal Horse Artillery
Royal Horse Artillery
The regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
, British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC:
On 31 March 1900 at Sanna's Post
Sanna's Post
-References:* Three Years War, by Christiaan Rudolf De Wet, 1st American Edition, published by Charles Scribner's Sons in 1902* The Great Boer War, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, originally published in 1902; republished by IndyPublish.com in 2002, ISBN 1-4043-0472-X* Goodbye Dolly Gray: The Story of...
(aka Korn Spruit), South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, 'Q' and 'U' Batteries of the Royal Horse Artillery were ambushed with the loss of most of the baggage column and five guns of the leading battery. When the alarm was given, 'Q' Battery went into action 1150 yards from the spruit, until the order to retire was received, when Major Phipps-Hornby
Edmund John Phipps-Hornby
Brigadier General Edmund John Phipps-Hornby VC, CB, CMG, DL was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Background:Phipps-Hornby was born in Lordington,...
, commander of 'Q' Battery, ordered the guns and their limbers to be run back by hand to a safe place. This most exhausting operation was carried out by, among others, Sergeant Parker, Gunner Isaac Lodge
Isaac Lodge
Isaac Lodge VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross , the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...
and Driver Horace Glasock
Horace Henry Glasock
Horace Henry Glasock VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross , the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that may be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
, and when at last all but one of the guns and one limber had been moved to safety, the battery was reformed. The citation reads:
Parker was elected by the non-commissioned officers as described above.
Further information
Lieutenant Francis MaxwellFrancis Aylmer Maxwell
Brigadier General Francis Aylmer Maxwell VC, CSI, DSO & Bar was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross , the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.Maxwell was 28 years old, and a lieutenant in the Indian...
(VC
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, CSI
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
, DSO & Bar
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
) also earned the VC in this action.
Parker rejoined the army and was seriously injured in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
The medal
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Royal Artillery Museum, Woolwich, EnglandWoolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
.