Selected Biographies

Parker, Anthony Edington Hyde – Born: Bulmer, Essex on 9.11.1915. Parents: Laurence Hyde Parker [see his military details below] and Ada Loeticia Moor [née Horsford] of Long Melford. Family Connections: Brother to Laurence Edmund Hyde Parker [b1912] and grandson of Joseph Alphonsus Horsford [b1848]; also, cousin of Godfrey Herbert Richard Cavendish [b1912] and Hubert Gordon Compton Cavendish [b1913].  Home: Smeetham Hall, Bulmer, Essex. Married:  Service Record: Anthony enrolled in 1936 as an Acting Pilot Officer No.37971 with the Royal Air Force. He was posted to France in September 1939 with 150 Squadron, as part of the Advanced Air Striking Force stationed near Reims. While on a mission over Saarbrucken his squadron was badly mauled in an aerial skirmish, his own plane being damaged forcing Pilot Officer Parker to bail out, sustaining injuries on landing.  Following treatment, he was transferred to 212 Squadron Photographic Reconnaissance Unit, staying in France until its fall in June 1940. Died: Anthony was killed in action during a mission on 14.9.1940 gathering photographic intelligence of an anticipated German invasion fleet on the French Channel coast.  He is commemorated on the RAF Runnymede Memorial [panel 6], the Bulmer War Memorial and on the Lancing College Roll of Honour.[1]

Parker, Edmond Hyde [CB] – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 30.1.1868.  Parents: Admiral Sir William Hyde Parker (9^th Baronet Parker of Melford Hall) and Sophia Mary [née Barnardiston].  Family Connections: Brother to Reverend Sir William Hyde Parker [b1863], Laurence Hyde Parker [b1870] and John Barnardiston Hyde Parker [b1879]; also, uncle of Sir William Stephen Hyde Parker [b1892] and Mary Stephanie Hyde Parker [b1894].  Home: Melford Hall, Long Melford (1871), Stubbington House Boarding School, Titchfield, Fareham, Hampshire (1881), HMS Minerva, Royal Naval Dockyard, Malta (1911), Bodorgan House, Back Lane, Ramsbury, Wiltshire (1939).  Occupation: Naval Officer (1911), Retired Admiral Royal Navy (1939).  Married: Helen Margaret Portal in 1908.  Service Record: In 1891 Edmond was serving as a Lieutenant with the Royal Navy, promoted to Commander in 1901.  From 1910 to 1912 he was Captain of the Second-Class cruiser HMS Minerva on Mediterranean station, and in 1913 Captain of the protected cruiser HMS Endymion.  He took command of the battleship HMS Superb on 20.2.1915 and on 31.5.1916 fought as part of 4^th Battle Squadron at the Battle of Jutland, being awarded the Russian Order of St Anne [2^nd Class].  In the New Year Honours of 1918, the newly promoted Rear Admiral Parker was appointed a Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath.  His naval promotions continued, being made Vice-Admiral in 1923 and Admiral on his retirement in 1927.  Died: Ramsbury, Wiltshire on 19.8.1951.[2]

Parker, Ethel Lady Hyde [née Leech] – Born: Reddich, Cheshire in 1861.  Parents: John Leech (Gentleman) and Eliza [née Ashworth].  Family Connections: Mother of Sir William Stephen Hyde Parker [b1892] and Mary Stephanie Hyde Parker [b1894], also sister-in-law of Edmund Hyde Parker [b1868], Laurence Hyde Parker [b1870] and John Barnardiston Hyde Parker [b1869].  Home: Melford Hall, Long Melford (1901) to [1916], 27 Hyde Park Gate, Kensington, London [1941].  Married: Reverend Sir William Hyde-Parker (10^th Baronet Parker of Melford Hall) in 1890 see his biography below.  Service Record: Lady Hyde Parker was a volunteer and a member of the Grand Council of the British Red Cross Society from November 1914, holding the post of Commandant of the Voluntary Aid Detachment and the Red Cross in Suffolk, she also sat on the Sudbury branch committee and was the organiser and chairperson of the Red Cross Working Party in Long Melford.  She continued her service after the War and was awarded the Red Cross Workers Badge.  In 1916 Lady Hyde Parker was a member of the Melford Women’s War Agricultural Committee, and President of the Long Melford Women’s Institute when it was formed in May 1918.  She also sat on the village War Memorial Committee when it was formed at the end of February 1919.  Died: Nantwich, Cheshire on 26.10.1941.[3]

Parker, John Barnardiston Hyde – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 7.4.1879.  Parents: Admiral Sir William Hyde Parker (9^th Baronet Parker of Melford Hall) and Sophia Mary [née Barnardiston].  Family Connections: Brother to Reverend Sir William Hyde Parker [b1863], Edmond Hyde Parker [b1868] and Laurence Hyde Parker [b1870]; also, uncle of Sir William Stephen Hyde Parker [b1892] and Mary Stephanie Hyde Parker [b1894].  Home: Melford Hall, Long Melford (1881) Eaton House Boarding School, Aldborough, Suffolk (1891), Cowichan, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada [1906], 108^A Ifield Road, Kensington, London [1933].  Occupation: Engineer [1914].  Married: Dora Katherine Bromley in 1925.  Service Record: In 1904 John was given permission by King Edward VII to wear the Insignia of the Fourth Class of the Imperial Ottoman Order of the Medjidieh in recognition of his services in delivering the cruiser Abdül Hamid to Turkey.  Commissioned on 17.8.1915 as a Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers, posted to France from 28.8.1915 and promoted to Captain on 15.3.1916.  John was issued with a Silver War Badge and discharged in May 1919 due to ill health.  Died: Taunton, Somerset on 22.6.1972.[4]

Parker, Laurence Edmund Hyde – Born: Bulmer, Essex on 34.2.1912.[5] Parents: Laurence Hyde Parker [see military details below] and Ada Loeticia Moor [née Horsford] of Long Melford. Family Connections: Brother to Anthony Edington Hyde Parker [b1915] and grandson of Joseph Alphonsus Horsford [b1848]; also, cousin of Godfrey Herbert Richard Cavendish [b1912] and Hubert Gordon Compton Cavendish [b1913]. Home: Smeetham Hall, Bulmer, Essex (1930) to [1995]. Occupation: Farmer and Civil Air Guard (1939) Married: Margaretha Van Thörne Neilson in 1953. Service Record: Laurence learnt to fly at Ipswich Aero Club, earning his qualification in October 1939. On 28.2.1942 he is recorded as Sgt.1270803 with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.[6] Died: Bulmer, Essex on 25.10.1994.[7]

Parker, Laurence Hyde – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 23.10.1870.[8]  Parents: Admiral Sir William Hyde Parker (9^th Baronet Parker of Melford Hall) and Sophia Mary [née Barnardiston].  Family Connections: Father to Laurence Edmund Hyde Parker [b1912] and Anthony Edington Hyde Parker [b1915], brother to Reverend Sir William Hyde Parker [b1863], Edmond Hyde Parker [b1868] and John Barnardiston Hyde Parker [b1879]; also, uncle of Sir William Stephen Hyde Parker [b1892] and Mary Stephanie Hyde Parker [b1894], and son-in-law of Joseph Alphonsus Horsford [b1848].  Home: Melford Hall, Long Melford (1871 to 1891), Park Cottage, Melford Hall, Long Melford [1896 to 1900], Westgate House, Westgate Street, Long Melford (1901), Smeetham Hall, Bulmer, Essex (1911 to 1939).  Occupation: Land Agent (1901 to 1939), Estate Agent to Kentwell Hall Estate [1937], Billeting Officer for the Halstead District in Essex (1939).  Married: Ada Lœtitia Moor Horsford in 1906.  Service Record: Laurence held the rank of Captain in 2^nd [Volunteer] Battalion, Suffolk Regiment,[9] transferring on 10.10.1914 to 4^th Battalion, Suffolks.  He was the Commander of the Long Melford Volunteer Training Corps, later Adjutant, and Second in Command of 5^th Volunteer Battalion, Suffolks.  More details on his involvement with the Volunteer Training Corps and his tireless work as a recruiter can be found in Part I.  From 1916 he also held a position as military representative on the Glemsford and Melford Military Service Tribunals.  At the end of the conflict, he was commended by the Secretary of State for War for his ‘valuable services rendered in connection with the war’.  Laurence Hyde Parker relinquished his command in 1920 and in 1922 is recorded as one of the 14 vice-presidents of the Long Melford Ex-Service Men’s Club.[10]  Died: Bulmer, Essex on 16.12.1950.[11]

Parker, Miss Mary ‘Stephanie’ Hyde – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 26.12.1894.  Parents: Reverend Sir William Hyde-Parker (10^th Baronet Parker of Melford Hall) and Ethel [née Leech].  Family Connections: Sister to Sir William Hyde Parker [b1892]; also, niece of Edmond Hyde Parker [b1868], Laurence Hyde Parker [b1870] and John Barnardiston Hyde Parker [b1879].  Home: Melford Hall, Long Melford (1901), 30 Clifton Hill, St John’s Wood, London [1929], Duke Willey, Allendale Road, Hexham, Northumberland (1939), 3 Holland Park Avenue, Kensington, London [1953].  Married: Kenneth William Gordon Duke in 1919.  Service Record: Stephanie acted as an enumerator for Long Melford during the National Registration in August 1915.  She later became a member of the British Red Cross Society from January 1916 to June 1917, working as a Nurse with the Voluntary Aid Detachment at the Red Cross Hospital at Belle Vue in Sudbury, Suffolk, followed by a period as Assistant County Organising Secretary for the Women’s Land Army.  In May 1918 she joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service, holding the rank of Assistant Principal and acting as Confidential Clerk and Secretary to the Rear Admiral, Southern Minefields, Dover.  Her service with the Navy came to an end in February 1919.  Died: Kensington, London on 7.2.1953.[12]

Parker, Reverend Sir William Hyde [MA JP] [10^th Baronet Parker of Melford Hall] – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 8.4.1863.  Parents: Sir William Hyde Parker (9^th Baronet Parker of Melford Hall) and Sophia Mary [née Barnardiston].  Family Connections: Father of Sir William Stephen Hyde Parker [b1892] Mary Stephanie Hyde Parker [b1894] and brother to Edmond Hyde Parker [b1868], Laurence Hyde Parker [b1870] and John Barnardiston Hyde Parker [b1879].  Occupation: Clerk in Holy Orders [1890] and (1901), Retired Clergyman (1911).  Home: Melford Hall, Long Melford.  Married: Ethel Leech in 1890.  Service Record: Chairman of Melford Rural District Council and the Long Melford Old Age Pension Committee, a member of the West Suffolk County Council, the West Suffolk Education Committee, and a County Magistrate for the Melford Petty Sessions.  During the First World War Sir William acted as Chairman of the Melford War Agricultural Sub-Committee from 1916 to 1919 and of the Long Melford War Memorial Committee in 1919.  Death: Long Melford, Suffolk on 16.2.1931.[13]

Parker, Sir William Stephen Hyde – Born: Paddington, London on 23.1.1892.  Parents: Reverend Sir William Hyde-Parker (10^th Baronet Parker of Melford Hall and Ethel [née Leech].  Family Connections: Brother of Mary Stephanie Hyde Parker [b1894]; also, nephew of Edmond Hyde Parker [b1868], Laurence Hyde Parker [b1870] and John Barnardiston Hyde Parker [b1879], and brother-in-law of Kenneth William Gordon Duke [b1898].  Home: Melford Hall, Long Melford (1871 to 1911).  Occupation: 11^th Baronet Parker of Melford Hall [1931 to 1951].  Married: Ulla Ditlef Neilson in 1931.  Service Record: In his earlier Army service William was awarded the 1908 Indian General Service Medal [Afghan Northwest Frontier clasp].  In 1913 he was a member of the Suffolk Yeomanry [Territorial Force], granted a commissioned on 1.9.1914 as Second Lieutenant, later Lieutenant with 1^st [King’s] Dragoon Guards and was posted to France from 2.11.1915.  In 1922 William is recorded as one of the 14 vice-presidents of the Long Melford Ex-Service Men’s Club.  Died: Long Melford, Suffolk on 29.7.1951.[14]

Related Biography

Duke, Kenneth William Gordon – Born: Forfarshire, Scotland on 26.2.1898.  Parents: John Duke (Linen Manufacturer) and Agnes Beatrice Loudon [née Gordon].  Family Connections: Brother-in-law of Sir William Stephen Hyde Parker [b1892].  Home: Rosshill, Brechin, Angus, Scotland (1901), Melford Hall, Long Melford [1919], Duke Willey, Hexham, Northumberland (1939), Castle Cottage, Sawrey, Ambleside, Westmorland [1966].  Occupation: Deputy Inspector of Naval Ordnance (1939).  Married: Mary Stephanie Hyde Parker [d1953] of Long Melford in 1919 [see below for service details], and Joan E. Robinson in 1955.  Service Record: Kenneth Duke joined the Royal Navy as a Midshipman in 1914, by 1917 he had risen to Sub-Lieutenant serving on the light cruiser HMS Attentive and by 1939 held the rank of Commander.  Died: Ulverston, Cumbria on 12.4.1966.[15]

Notes – [1] Personal and military details, including the accompanying photograph are taken with thanks from the Lancing College War Memorial website www.hambo.org/lancing. See also Commonwealth War Grave Commission.  [2] Date of birth from the 1939 Register for Marlborough and Ramsey Rural District in Wiltshire.  See also his RN Service Record [ADM196/43] and the Second Supplement to the London Gazette 28.12.1917, p.79 for notification of his CB.  Date of death from the National Probate Calendar.  [3] See her British Red Cross Record Card.  Date of death from the National Probate Calendar.  [4] Date of birth and death from https://thepeerage.com and Death Index.  For notification of his Turkish award see the London Evening Standard 24.11.1904.  For notice of marriage see Suffolk and Essex Free Press 31.12.1925.  For his military career see Supplements to the London Gazette 9.9.1915, 8.5.1916 and 27.5.1919.  See also his Service Medal and Award Rolls, First World War, Silver War Badge [WO 329] record and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372/15/115774].  [5] 1939 Register.  [6] London Gazette, 16.6.1942.  [7] National Probate Calendar.  [8] Baptism Register 4.12.1870, Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford.  [9] For notification of his commission as Captain see London Gazette 9.10.1914.  [10] For Training Corps articles see Suffolk and Essex Free Press 10.3.1915 and 29.12.1915.  For involvement in the Military Tribunals held at Long Melford see SEFP 15.3.1916.  For notice of his commendation by the Secretary of State for War see Cambridge Daily News 29.8.1919, and retirement see Supplement to the London Gazette 10.3.1920.  [11] National Probate Calendar.  [12] Date of birth from Baptism Register 27.1.1895, Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford.  For details of the local administration of the National Registration see Suffolk and Essex Free Press 10.8.1915 and 25.8.1915.  See also her British Red Cross Record Card and Women’s Royal Naval Service: Personal files of Officers [ADM 318/163] and Women’s Royal Naval Service: Registers of Appointments of Officers [ADM 321/1/212].  Date of death from the National Probate Calendar.  [13] Kelly’s Directory for Suffolk 1896 to 1925.  Notice of his estate in Bury Free Press 4.7.1931.  [14] Date of birth from the Baptism Register 6.3.1892, St Marys Church, Cavendish, Suffolk.  For his military career see London Gazette 18.7.1913, Supplement to the London Gazette 19.10.1914 and Suffolk and Essex Free Press 21.10.1914.  See also his Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372].  Date of death from the National Probate Calendar.  [15] Date of birth from his Royal Navy Officers Service Records [ADM 196/147].  See also his Medal and Award Rolls [ADM 171/89].  Marriage Register 25.10.1919 Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford.  Date of death from the National Probate Calendar.