PARKES Norman

Appears in the Worcester/Worcestershire Roll of Honour Book for army casualties located in Worcester Cathedral.

Norman Parkes was the son of Thomas and Sarah Parkes of Worcester Street, Stourbridge, and he attended Old Swinford Hospital from 1891 to 1896.  He left to be indentured to E. Barnes, an iron moulder, at Jones and Attwood.  He then emigrated to Canada and, when war came, volunteered for the Canadian Infantry.  He joined the 44th Battalion (New Brunswick Regiment), arrived in England at Easter 1916 and moved to the Western Front in August.  On the 9th May 1917 he was severely wounded and a leg was amputated at a Casualty Clearing Station.  He was sent back to England to a V.A.D. hospital at Eastbourne.  His other leg was amputated and he died on the 27th July.  His body was brought back to Stourbridge by his family.  Private Norman Parkes was buried with military honours in Stourbridge Cemetery.  It was an impressive service which was attended by a large number of people including his father and two brothers and ‘his mates’ from Jones and Attwood.  He is commemorated on the Canadian National Memorial and on the St. Thomas’s church memorial.

Norman Parkes enlisted in the Canadian Over-seas Expeditionary Force on 4th November 1915 at Winniepeg, Canada. On his attestation form he gave his date of birth as 30th July 1881 in Stourbridge, Worcestershire, his occupation as an iron moulder and his next of kin as his brother Clarence, Stourbridge, England.  Norman was 5 feet 5 inches tall with a fair complexion, brown eyes and brown hair.  At some point after 1915 Norman became engaged to Miss Ethel Lons of Winnipeg, Canada who was named as next of kin alongside his brother Clarence.  Norman sailed from Halifax, Nova Scotia on 1st April 1916 on board S.S. Olympic, arriving in England on 12th April 1916.  After further training he proceeded overseas to France on 10th August 1916 arriving in Le Havre on 12th August 1916.

On 8th May 1917 Norman was admitted to No 23 Casualty Clearing Station as ‘dangerously wounded’ with gunshot wounds to his legs and face and within 2 days he had been moved to No 13 General Hospital at Boulogne.  After having his right foot amputated above the ankle in France he was shipped back to England on 17th May 1917 and admitted to De Walden Court Hospital in Eastbourne on 19th May 1917.  On 21st July 1917 Norman underwent further surgery to his injured left patella (knee) which was badly infected.  The surgery failed to clear the infection and on 26th July 1917 a secondary haemorrhage occurred at 08.30 which resulted in the amputation of his leg from the lower third of the femur.  His medical notes record his death at 4pm on 26th July.

National Archives of Canada Reference:
RG150, Accession 1992-93/166 Box 7603 – 15

The Canada Commonwealth War Graves Registers records the following information on Private Norman Parkes:
Previously reported seriously ill, now died of wounds. – Ampt. R. Leg. SW. L. Knee. Dewalden Court Hospital, Eastbourne, aff. Military Hospital, Eastbourne.
Stourbridge Cemetery, Stourbridge, Worcester Grave 701 Cross erected.
Next of kin: Mr C. Parkes, Roebuck Inn, Amblecote Rd, Brierley Hill, Staffs, England.