First World War British War Medal, Victory Medal, Territorial Force War Medal & Memorial Plaque – Private Joseph Parkes, Worcestershire Regiment
British War Medal – 200443 PTE. J. PARKES. WORC. R.
Victory Medal – 200443 PTE. J. PARKES. WORC. R.
Territorial Force War Medal – 200443 PTE. J. PARKES. WORC. R.
Memorial Plaque – JOSEPH PARKES
Joseph Parkes was born in 1899 at Lye, Worcestershire, the son of William and Annie Parkes, and lived with his family at 22 Bromley Street, Lye, near Stourbridge. He enlisted at Stourbridge in April 1914, joining the 1st/7th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment, and was still only a teenager when Britain entered the war later that year.
After service with the Territorial Force, Parkes was posted overseas and served on the Western Front in France and Flanders. He later served with the 3rd Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment, taking part in operations during the closing stages of the conflict. In the spring of 1918, Worcestershire units were heavily engaged during the German offensives, fighting to stem the advance at a critical point in the war.
Private Parkes was killed in action on 10 April 1918, aged 19. Initially reported missing, his death was subsequently confirmed. With no known grave, he is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium (Panel 5). His mother, Mrs Annie Parkes, was recorded as his dependant and later received a pension at the family home in Lye.
A pre-war Territorial volunteer who gave his life during the desperate fighting of 1918, Parkes represents a poignant example of the young men who answered the call early and never returned. A group comprising the British War Medal, Victory Medal, Territorial Force War Medal and Memorial Plaque to a casualty is particularly rare, making this an especially scarce and historically significant combination.
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AJMS Medals