Private William John Parr
| Date of Birth | c. 1895 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | |
| Date of Death | 5 May 1915 |
| Service Number | 14979 |
| Military Service | 1st Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment |
| Merton Address | 18 Quintin Avenue, Wimbledon |
| Local Memorial | St. Mary's Church, Merton Park |
Additional Information
William Parr was born in Canterbury in 1894, along with brother Sidney born in 1896. His parents, James and Nellie then moved to Bloomsbury, where they had a daughter, Lilian. The family then settled at 18, Quintin Avenue, off Kingston Road, Merton Park. James Parr was himself a war pensioner and worked as a toll collector at London’s Covent Garden Market.
In the 1911 census, 16 year old William was working as a railway porter at Paddington station. William enlisted in the 1st Battalion of the Bedfordshire regiment.soon after the outbreak of war.
He was killed in action during the second battle of Ypres on May 5th 1915 2 days after his brother Sidney had been killed in the same battle.
His body was never identified, so will have been buried as an unknown soldier and memorialised on the Menin Gate in Ypres.