Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Martyn Parsons (1 November 1910 – 7 June 1998) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

marksman A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision shooting using projectile weapons (in modern days most commonly an accurized scoped long gun such as designated marksman rifle or a sniper rifle) to shoot at high-value targets at longer-than-u ...

who played an important role developing and testing small arms and ammunition during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and whose performance in post-war rifle competitions established him as one of the finest rifle marksmen in Britain. Parsons was born in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, and educated at

Trent College Trent College is a co-educational independent day and boarding school located in Long Eaton, Derbyshire between Nottingham and Derby. Founded in 1868 as a local ’middle class alternative’ to the more famous public schools, it is now a coedu ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

. His uncle was the architect Bertram Charles Hill. Also, one of his elder brothers was

Ernest Geoffrey Parsons Ernest Geoffrey Parsons Commander of The Royal Victorian Order, CVO CBE (13 May 1901 – 26 August 1991) was a British estate manager who became one of the Commissioners of the Crown Estates for Queen Elizabeth II. He was made a Commander of the ...

Military career

Parsons was commissioned in 1929 into the

Royal Ulster Rifles The Royal Irish Rifles (became the Royal Ulster Rifles from 1 January 1921) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army, first created in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot and the 86th (Royal County ...

, and went on in 1932 to become the Northern Ireland rifle champion. His prowess as a marksman made him a candidate for additional training, and he was sent in 1938 to a Long Small Arms technical course at the Ministry College of Science, where he became one of the first infantry officers to be awarded a technical qualification. This resulted in his being assigned during the war to rifle testing trials and small arms development for the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

and

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

. He was also posted to the

Ordnance Ordnance may refer to: Military and defense *Materiel in military logistics, including weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment. **The military branch responsible for supplying and developing these items, e.g., the Unit ...

Department. He spent two years at the end of the war in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and then was reassigned to the War Office, before being given the command in 1949 of his regimental depot. It was in post-war rifle competitions where Parsons' marksman abilities became legendary. Shooting in 1949 and 1950 for his regimental team in

National Rifle Association The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...

(NRA) competitions at the

National Shooting Centre The National Shooting Centre is the UK's largest shooting sports complex, comprising several shooting ranges as well as the large "Bisley Camp" complex of accommodation, clubhouses and support services. The centre is located near the village of ...

Bisley, Surrey Bisley is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England, approximately southwest of central London. It is midway between Woking (to the east) and Camberley (to the west). The village had a population of 3,965 in ...

, he won the King's Medal (the highest honour) both years in a row, which made him the champion shot in the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

. He also won in 1949 the NRA Service Rifle Championships, the Queen Mary Cup and the Wantage Cup, the latter being the first time anyone had won the cup with a perfect shooting score. He eventually shot every year until 1959 with his regimental team at the Bisley competition. His marksmanship was also unsurpassed in the

Army Operational Shooting Competition The Army Operational Shooting Competition (AOSC), is the British Army's premier shooting competition. Part of the Defence Operational Shooting Competition (DefOSC), it is based at the National Shooting Centre in Brookwood, Surrey. It also uses Mini ...

at Bisley. He won the Bronze Jewell award there at the 1947, 1954 and 1955 competitions, and in 1951 he won the Silver Jewell as well. He ultimately shot in the Army competitions for 11 consecutive years (except 1953), and his name appears on every individual Rifle Championship Cup save one in the

Army Rifle Association The Army Rifle Association (ARA) is the British army's shooting advisory and competition organising body. It is a registered charity independent of the chain of command. History Competition shooting amongst the Volunteer forces of the Crown was e ...

. Parsons retired from the Army with the rank of

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

and moved to

Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...

, where he was active in his later years in the restoration of historic buildings in the city. He died at the age of 87 on 7 June 1998 in Bath.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, Dick 1910 births 1998 deaths Military personnel from Bristol People educated at Trent College Royal Ulster Rifles officers British Army personnel of World War II