Private John Parr
| John Parr | |
|---|---|
The grave of John Parr in St Symphorien cemetery
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| Born |
19 July 1897 Church End, England |
| Died | 21 August 1914 (aged 17) Obourg, Belgium |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
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| Service/ |
 British Army
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| Rank | Private |
| Unit | 4th Battalion, (Duke of Cambridge's) Middlesex Regiment |
| Battles/wars | First World War |
Private John Henry Parr (19 July 1897 – 21 August 1914) was a British soldier. He is believed to be the first soldier of the British Commonwealth to be killed by enemy action in the First World War.
Parr was born in Lichfield Grove, Finchley, now in the London Borough of Barnet. His father was a milkman. He lived most of his life at 52 Lodge Lane, North Finchley, the youngest of eleven children of Edward and Alice Parr. Many of his siblings died before their fourth birthday.
Upon leaving school, he took a job working as a butcher's boy, and then as a caddie at North Middlesex Golf Club. Then, like many other young men at the time, he was attracted to the army as a potentially better way of life, and one where he would at least get two meals a day and a chance to see the world. The 5'3" tall Parr joined the 4th Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment in 1912, aged fifteen, but claimed to be eighteen years and one month old to meet the minimum age requirement. He was nicknamed "Ole Parr", possibly after Old Tom Parr.
Private Parr specialised in becoming a reconnaissance cyclist, riding ahead to uncover information then returning with all possible speed to update the commanding officer. At the start of World War I in August 1914 Parr’s battalion was shipped from Southampton to Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. With the German army marching into Belgium, Parr's unit took up positions near a village called Bettignies, beside the canal running through the town of Mons approximately 8 miles (13 km) away. On 21 August, Parr and another cyclist were sent to the village of Obourg, just north east of Mons, and slightly over the border in Belgium, with a mission to locate the enemy. It is believed that they encountered a cavalry patrol from the German First Army, and that Parr remained to hold off the enemy whilst his companion returned to report. He was killed in the ensuing rifle fire.
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