Herbert Parsons was born in January 1876 at Oswestry. He was the fourth of 9 children – Arthur, Frank, Alice, HIM, Maud, Ernest, Ethel and Gertrude. Another boy, James was born in 1884 but died at age 2. His father and mother were John and Elizabeth Parsons. His father was originally from Birmingham and came to Oswestry in about 1875 to work as an engineer at Oswestry Gas Works; he would later become the works manager, he died in 1906. The family lived near the gas works on Victoria Road. Herbert went to Oswestry High School. In 1890 he was articled to George Owen the Chief Engineer of the Cambrian Railway. He left the Cambrian in 1895 to take up an engineering position with the Chief Engineer of the North Eastern Railway in York. He lived as a boarder on De Grey Street, York. In 1908 he married Eileen May Coombs and in 1911 they were living at 8 Southlands Road, York. At that time Gertrude, his youngest sister, was also living with them. There is no mention of children.

He joined up shortly after the outbreak of war. Most probably because of his job and age he went forward to officer training and was posted to 1/5 Bn West Yorkshire Regiment. This was a territorial unit and it is possible he had served before the war.  He was commissioned as Second Lieutenant and, probably again due to his work, was posted to Rugeley Training Camp near Stafford, where he taught Topography. In January 1917, most likely because he had asked for overseas service, he went over to France and was posted to 10 Bn WYR reporting to the battalion at Corbie on 24 January.

The battalion remained in the Somme area until April and then moved up to Arras in preparation for the forthcoming Arras Offensive. On 12 April they were ordered forward to a position on the Pelves-Monchy road on the southern side of the River Scarpe during the final days of the First Battle of the Scarpe. The battalion War Diary records Herbert as KIA on 13 April 1917 (CWGC/elsewhere give 14 April). The entry for that date reads  – ‘Throughout the day the enemy, assisted by aeroplanes, heavily shelled our position (Lt. AG Titley (CWGC), Lt H Parsons, 2/Lt H Marshall (CWGC) and 2/Lt CW Andrews (CWGC) ) were killed by shell fire’. Herbert’s body was lost and he is commemorated on the Arras Memorial and has no known grave. He is also commemorated at St Oswald’s Church Oswestry, on the family grave at Oswestry Cemetery (D 101) and, in York, in the city’s Roll of Honour, King’s Book and at St Clement’s Church.

Acknowledgements. Photos by Louise Culliford 

References and Sources

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