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Julian George Parr (1875-)


Captain with 10th Battalion Durham Light Infantry, travelled from Argentina to join the army


Julian George Parr had lived all his life in Argentina but came to England and joined the army around May 1915, at the age of 40. No record of his birth has been found, but he does appear on the 1895 Argentine Census, living in Rosario. His father ‘Carlos’ L (Charles) is listed as a widowed doctor. A brother, Valentine ‘Carlos’ also appears, he and Julian’s professions are listed as ‘comercio’ (commercial). Charles indicates that he has four children altogether.

Parr initially served with the 16th Durham Light Infantry (DLI) and subsequently transferred to the 10th DLI. Captain Parr served in France and in September 1916, won the Military Cross. The citation in the London Gazette of 20 October 1916 page 10188 read:
‘For conspicuous gallantry while carrying out operations. With the bombing officer he organised and carried out an attack which cleared the enemy out of a wood, he then constructed a new line of defence under heavy shell fire. He was several times hit and his helmet dented with fragments of shell.’

Parr was very severely wounded on 16 September 1916 with a gunshot wound to the right chest, resulting in the collapse of the lung. The day before he sustained this injury, a shell had burst near to him, rupturing his left tympanic membrane and resulting in almost total loss of hearing in his left ear. He was sent back to England from Havre on the SS Laufranc on 19 October 1916 for treatment.

A Medical Board held at Caxton Hall in London on 3 January 1917 reported that Captain Parr would not even be fit for light duty at home for six months. In a letter of 17 January 1917 Captain Parr sought permission to go to the Argentine on 9 February by SS Araguaya and return before the expiration of his six months medical leave. His home was there and his business interests urgently required his personal attention. It was also felt that the sea voyage and short stay in warm climate would greatly help his recovery. A letter from his business partner in Rosario, and one confirming his fitness to travel from Sir Alfred Fripp, an eminent surgeon, were also enclosed.

On 22 January 1917, Parr was given permission to proceed to Argentina during his leave, which was confirmed as expiring on 3 July 1917. He must travel in plain clothes with a passport obtained from the Foreign Office and the correct visa. He must also report his destination address to the Secretary War Office before leaving England.

3 July 1917 was the date of Parr’s next appearance before the Medical Board. Here, it was concluded that ‘he has made a good recovery. The scar on the right back is sound, the lung expands well. He has only some slight breathlessness on exertion and his condition is good. He is now fit for light duties”. It was recommended that he be given three weeks’ leave then to join 3rd (Reserve) Battalion DLI at South Shields on 24 July.

However, in a letter to the Secretary of the War Office, dated 7 July 1917, Parr wrote ‘It may be some time before I am fit for general service. I beg to request that, if possible, some employment be given me other than the usual light duty at some depot battalion. I have worked in business for many years; also if languages can be of any use I speak Spanish fluently, French and German well, some Italian and Portuguese.’ The mention of languages has been marked in red, presumably by the person receiving the letter. Captain Parr gave his address at that time as 58 Holland Park, London.

The Intelligence Services appeared keen to make use of Captain Parr, ‘with a view to proceeding to Portugal on intelligence duties’. He was appointed from 12 August and appeared before a War Office Medical Board on 7 September. This reported that he was not fit for general service but was fit for home service and able to proceed to an intelligence posting. By 24 September 1917 he had been sent to Madrid to assist the Military Control Officer there. It was noted that if he proved satisfactory, they might later ask Foreign Office to appoint him Acting Vice Consul for Military Control work.

There seems to have been some confusion between the Army and the Intelligence Service, and later the Foreign Office, as to which department should be arranging Medical Boards, and which was responsible for his pay. Both queries were the subject of many letters exchanged between the various departments. The Army were trying to locate Parr in order to arrange attendance at a Medical Board, but a note of 18 October 1917 confirmed that he was employed by the War Office, and would be dealt with by their Medical Board. An appointment for an appearance in November 1917 in London did not reach him in Spain until too late, so it was eventually agreed that he be seen at Gibraltar to save expense and long journey. Parr appeared before the Medical Board in Gibraltar on 8 April 1918, and was recorded as unfit for General Service, but fit for intelligence duties in Spain. He returned to duty at Bilbao the following day.

A letter from Military Intelligence, dated 27 June 1918, noted that Captain Parr had recently been granted four months’ leave (from 11 May 1918), without pay, to visit Argentina on private affairs. It was understood that his appointment as Military control officer at Bilbao would be taken over and he would not be required to resume his duties on the expiration of his leave. This meant there was no objection to Parr taking up a new appointment with the Foreign Office. It was added though, that he would have to relinquish his commission if he took up the appointment.

On 11 September 1918 Parr took up duties as British Vice Consul at Rosario, Argentina (where he lived). On the same day he resigned his commission with the Army, but was granted the rank of honorary captain, which would appear in the London Gazette.

Some time between 1916 and 1920, Julian Parr married Mabel McGregor in Argentina.

In August 1926, the War Office received a letter from ex-Sergeant WC Morgan of Edith Street, Consett, asking for the home address of Captain Parr, B Company 10th Durham Light Infantry, as the Parr had promised to help him if he ever thought about moving to Argentina. The War Office replied that they had no information as to his whereabouts and would not have been able to give it if they did. They would have forwarded a letter if an address had been known.

In 1938, the War Office received an enquiry as to the whereabouts of Captain Parr from a Mr G Ritchie of Heworth Burn Crescent, Felling on Tyne. Mr Ritchie commented that he had been greatly attached to Captain Parr during the war but the War Office was unable to assist.

The only records that have been found concerning Julian Parr’s life pre- and post-war life is on ships’ passenger lists as follows:
1. 1890, with Mr.Valentine Charles Parr, on the Hevelius from Southampton to Buenos Aires
2. 16 December 1914 on the Araguaya from Buenos Aires to Liverpool
3. 16 February 1917 on Araguaya from Liverpool to Buenos Aires
4. 15 February 1921 on the Darno from Montevideo to Liverpool
5. 28 July 1924 on the Almanzora (from Buenos Aires) embarking at Cherbourg to Southampton, with Mabel Parr (on another page, a possible brother, Charles Henry Parr, and his family also appear)
6. On 6 July 1932 on the Cap Arcona from Southampton to Buenos Aires, with Mabel Parr
7. On 8 April 1933 again on the Cap Arcona from Southampton to Buenos Aires, with Mabel Parr

This information was derived from the officers service records, held at The National Archives, Kew, London: WO 339/15708
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1069635

Birth date: c.1875

Armed force/civilian: Army

Residence: Rosario, Argentina
1916 to 1918 58 Holland Park, London

Employment: Own commercial business in Rosario in the Argentina

Family: Father – Charles [Lake] Parr
Brother – Valentine Charles Parr
Possible brother – Charles Henry Parr (28 July 1924 Almanzora passenger list)
Possible sister – Helen Mary Parr (Marriage register San Bartolomé, Rosario, Casamientos 1901-1915, http://www.argbrit.org/SanBart/marrs1901-1915.htm)
Possible mother – Sarah Helen Parr, nee See (same as above)
Wife – Mabel Parr, nee McGregor born c. 1885 (Consular marriages 1916-1920 Vol. 14, Find My Past)

Military service:

30 December 1912 – commissioned as Temporary Lieutenant, 16th (Reserve) Battalion, Durham Light Infantry
10 August 1915 – transferred to 10th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry in France
16 September 1916 – wounded in France
19 September 1916 – returned to England for treatment
3 January 1917 – seen by Medical Board and given medical leave
24 September 1917 – working with the Intelligence Service in Madrid, later Bilbao
11 September 1918 – resigned commission with the British Army to take up work for the Foreign office as British Vice Consul, Rosario, Argentina

Medal(s): 15 Star
British War Medal
Victory Medal
Military Cross (September 1916)

Gender: Male

Contributed by Vivienne Lowe