Parker, James Henry MM (Saddler Sergeant)

Place Middle East: Ottoman Empire, Turkey, Dardanelles, Gallipoli
Accession Number PR01036
Collection type Private Record
Record type Collection
Measurement 1cm (3 items)
Object type Papers
Maker Parker, James Henry
Date made 1915-1919
Access Open
Conflict First World War, 1914-1918
Copying Provisions Copyright restrictions apply. Only personal, non-commercial, research and study use permitted. Permission of copyright holder required for any commercial use and/or reproduction.
Description

Diary, apparently written after the event, of No. 1152 Saddler Sergeant James Henry Parker (6th Battery, 2nd Field Artillery Brigade, Australian Field Artillery) covering the period 4 April-5 October 1915 and documenting his service on Gallipoli. Parker landed on 4 May and evacuated sick on 29 September, the diary describing his experiences and observations with his battery, situated on the cliffs in front of Krithia Nullah on Cape Helles, near British and French units. There are very detailed observations of the fighting, especially from the artillery perspective, including the human and material effects of shelling (both by the Turks and Allied naval bombardment). Parker's duties included manning observation posts (from which he made detailed observations of the battlefield), supervising dugout and trench construction, and daily visits to the 'base' at Helles to organise and transport provisions and munitions for his battery and evacuate dead and wounded. Over 17-19 August he supervised the transport of the battery and its guns to Anzac, visiting Shrapnel Gully. Includes his discharge certificate and a 1916 aerial photograph of trench formations. Parker won a Military Medal for gallantry at Verbrandenmolen Ridge, south of Ypres, Belgium in March 1918.