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Private William John Parker

Private William John Parker

Male 1895 - 1917  (21 years)

Personal Information    |    Media    |    Notes    |    Sources    |    Event Map    |    All    |    PDF

  • Name William John Parker 
    Prefix Private 
    Born 21 Dec 1895  Fergus, Nichol Twp., Wellington Co., Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] 
    Gender Male 
    Interesting military, story, misfortune 
    Military WW1 
    Parker,WilliamJohn-WW1.jpg    		 Parker,WilliamJohn-WW1.jpg
    Occupation 1911  Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [3] 
    Student 
    Residence 1911  Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [3] 
    Methodist 
    Military 1914  WW1 Find all individuals with events at this location  [5] 
    WW1, Service #730723 
    Military 1914  WW1 Find all individuals with events at this location  [6] 
    WW1, Signaller, 111th South Waterloo Battalion / 10th Battalion / B.E.F. 
    Misfortune 1917 
    Killed in WW1 
    Died 15 Aug 1917  , France Find all individuals with events at this location  [7, 8] 
    Cause: Cause: Killed in Action 
    Website 2009 
    Photograph 
    • Grace Schmidt Room of Local History Digital Collection

      Description: Black and white, studio photograph inside a photo cover, of William John Parker, in uniform.

      Notes: William John Parker was educated at Preston and Galt Collegiate Institutes. He served as a signaller during the war. He enlisted with the South Waterloo 111th Battalion and later transferred to the 10th Battalion of the British Expeditionary Force. He was killed at Hill 70 on 15 August 1917.
    Name John William Parker 
    Residence Fergus, Nichol Twp., Wellington Co., Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [6] 
    Residence Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [6] 
    Residence Fergus, Nichol Twp., Wellington Co., Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [5, 6] 
    Residence Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [5] 
    Eby ID Number Waterloo-352344 
    Buried Loos British Cemetery, Loos-en-Gohelle, Pas de Calais, France Find all individuals with events at this location  [9] 
    Person ID I352344  Generations
    Last Modified 3 Mar 2025 

    Father Thomas J. Parker,   b. 3 Dec 1868, Elora, Wellington Co., Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1953  (Age 84 years) 
    Mother Margaret Ann Fenn,   b. 17 Mar 1868, Plattsville, Blenheim Twp., Oxford Co., Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1947  (Age 78 years) 
    Married 20 Jan 1891  Blenheim Twp., Oxford Co., Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [10, 11] 
    Family ID F23339  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Photos
    William John Parker    		William John Parker
    Grace Schmidt Room of Local History digital collection

  • Notes 
    • Poet soldier foresaw his death at battle that was 'worse than Vimy'

      .....The first day of fighting at Hill 70 was the last day for William Parker , 21, a bookkeeper and championship hockey player from Preston.

      Parker crouched in a dark trench before 4 a.m. with his comrades. Silently, they waited for a whistle to tell them to go over the top, to attack the enemy near German-occupied Lens, in northeastern France.

      Hill 70 was a treeless expanse that dominates Lens, commanding the view of the plain beyond. It was a tactical advantage to hold it near the busiest coal mining area of France.

      Whistles broke the silence at 4: 25 a.m. as dawn was breaking. Parker and his comrades climbed out of the trenches, heading across no man's land while Canadian bombs fell just 70 metres ahead of them. The barrage kept the enemy pinned underground for as long as possible. Canada also fired drums of burning oil to create a smokescreen to shield advancing troops.

      Parker laid communication wires while the battle raged around him. He stayed in place through two German counterattacks and returned to headquarters for more materials. At 4 p.m., while he was conversing with officers, a burst of shrapnel hit him in the stomach and neck.....

      Outhit, J. (2017). Poet soldier foresaw his death at battle that was 'worse than Vimy' | TheRecord.com. TheRecord.com. Retrieved 15 August 2017, from https://www.therecord.com/news-story/7502417-poet-soldier-foresaw-his-death-at-battle-that-was-worse-than-vimy-/

  • Sources 
    1. [S204] Census - ON, Waterloo, Preston - 1901, Preston (Village) F-2 Page 25.

    2. [S157] Military - Canada - World War I - Attestation papers, Regimental number(s): 1006279Reference: RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 7596 - 4.

    3. [S1669] Census - ON, Waterloo, Preston - 1911, Div. 24 Pg. 36.

    4. [S157] Military - Canada - World War I - Attestation papers.
      Name:William John Parker Birth Date:21 Dec 1895 Birth Location:Furgus Willington Co Residence:Preston Relative:Margaret Parker Relationship:Mother Regiment Number:730723

    5. [S157] Military - Canada - World War I - Attestation papers.

    6. [S2231] Military - Kitchener Public Library - Soldier Information Card Collection - World War One.

    7. [S2443] Canada, War Graves Registers (Circumstances of Casualty), 1914-1948.
      William John Parker Death Date: 15 Aug 1917 Rank: Private Unit: 10th Battalion Service number: 730723 Cemetery: Loos British Cemetery Cemetery Location: 1 1/2 Miles North West of Lens, France Burial Place: Lens, France

      "Killed in Action"
      Whilst taking part in the attack at Hill 7C, Loos, on August 15th 1917, at about 4.00 P.M., he was hit in the neck and abdomen and instantly killed.

    8. [S157] Military - Canada - World War I - Attestation papers.
      Name:William John Parker Death Date:15 Aug 1917 Rank:Private Unit:10th Battalion Service number:730723 Cemetery:Loos British Cemetery Cemetery Location:1 1/2 Miles North West of Lens, France Burial Place:Lens, France

    9. [S239] Cemetery - ON, Waterloo, Cambridge - Preston CC#6335 Cemetery Internet Link .
      [Front] At rest/ Loretta B. RENWICK/ 1899 - 1974/ Beloved wife of/ W. Howard RENWICK/ David W. PANABAKER/ 1891 - 1979/ His beloved wife/ Mary G. PARKER/ 1891 - 1974./ [Back] PARKER/ At rest/ Sig. William J. PARKER 111th Batt./ Killed in action Hill 70/ Aug. 15, 1917/ aged 23 years/ The last grim battle fought/ through Christ triumphant/ Interred Provincial Cemetery Loos/ France./ [Flat markers] Bessie M./ Dau. of T. J. & M. PARKER/ 1896 - 1927./ Margaret A., FENN/ Wife of Thos. J. PARKER/ 1868 - 1947/Thomas J. PARKER/ 1868 - 1953.

    10. [S4] Vit - ON - Marriage Registration.
      Margaret Fenn Born: Canada Age: 23 Father: Courad Fenn Mother: Mary Fenn Born: abt 1868 Spouse: Thomas J Parker Age: 23 born: Elora Canada Father: George B Parker Mother: Elizabeth Jane Parker married 20 Jan 1891 married: Oxford, Blenheim

    11. [S4] Vit - ON - Marriage Registration.
      Name:Thomas J Parker Age:23 Birth Date:abt 1868 Birth Place:Elora Canada Marriage Date:20 Jan 1891 Marriage County or District:Oxford Father:George B Parker Mother:Elizabeth Jane Parker Spouse:Margaret Fenn Spouse's Age:23 Spouse Birth Date:abt 1868 Spouse Birth Place:Canada Spouse Father:Courad Fenn Spouse Mother:Mary Fenn

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBorn - 21 Dec 1895 - Fergus, Nichol Twp., Wellington Co., Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsOccupation - Student - 1911 - Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - Methodist - 1911 - Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDied - Cause: Cause: Killed in Action - 15 Aug 1917 - , France Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - - Fergus, Nichol Twp., Wellington Co., Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - - Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - - Fergus, Nichol Twp., Wellington Co., Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - - Preston (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBuried - - Loos British Cemetery, Loos-en-Gohelle, Pas de Calais, France Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 


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