Francis Harold Parker was born in Clunes and was a Gunsmith by trade when he enlisted from Ballarat in the 8th Battalion, C Company on 15 September 1914 at the age of 29. His unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board Transport A24 Benalla on 19 October 19 and after a period of further training in Egypt he took part in the historic landing at Gallipoli on April 25th 1915. Illness forced his evacuation to Lemnos in late August and then to Egypt where he remained until September 1916 when he rejoined his battalion in France. On May 7th 1917 he was wounded in action, sustaining a shrapnel wound to his knee and was evacuated to the Bath War Hospital in England. He rejoined his unit in France in February 1918 but less than two weeks later it was found necessary to withdraw him to England. On April 8th 1918 he embarked from England on the Dunluce Castle for return to Australia where he was discharged as æmedically unfit – neurasthenia'.
Tree No. 267