Frederick Daniel Parslow VC (14 January 1856 – 4 July 1915) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

. He was a

Master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

in the UK Merchant Navy. Parslow was the first member of the Merchant Navy to receive a VC, and one of only two Merchant Navy members to receive a VC for his First World War service. At 59 years old he was also the oldest person to receive the VC for his action in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Details

At 0900 hrs 4 July 1915 in the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

southwest of Queenstown, Ireland, the

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

attacked HM Horse Transport ''Anglo-Californian'', a cargo

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

that the UK Government had requisitioned from the Nitrate Producers' Steam Ship Company. Parslow was ''Anglo-Californian''s Master, and kept ordering changes of course to evade the enemy fire. At 1030 hrs ''U-39'' raised the flag

signal In signal processing, a signal is a function that conveys information about a phenomenon. Any quantity that can vary over space or time can be used as a signal to share messages between observers. The '' IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing' ...

"abandon the vessel as fast as possible". Smith was about to obey the order when his wireless operator received a signal from a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

to hold on as long as possible. ''Anglo-Californian'' got under way again, so ''U-39'' opened a heavy fire, concentrated on the transport ship's bridge, and doing great damage. Captain Parslow remained on the bridge throughout the attack, entirely without protection and was killed when the bridge was wrecked. Parslow's son, also Frederick Parslow, was the Chief Officer and took command on the death of his father. He held out until two destroyers arrived to drive the submarine away. ''Anglo-Californian'' suffered 20 casualties, but most of the cargo of nearly a thousand military horses was saved. The younger Parslow was commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant in the

Royal Naval Reserve The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original Ro ...

, and was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

. As a merchant officer, Parslow was not eligible for the VC in 1915. However, later the Royal Navy posthumously commissioned Parslow as a

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in the Royal Naval Reserve, and in May 1919 he was posthumously awarded the VC. Parslow lived in Balls Pond Road, Islington. On 4 July 2015 the

London Borough of Islington The London Borough of Islington ( ) is a London borough in Inner London. Whilst the majority of the district is located in north London, the borough also includes a significant area to the south which forms part of central London. Islington has ...

commemorated the centenary of Parslow's action and death by installing an inscribed memorial paving stone next to Islington Green War Memorial.

References

Bibliography

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Parslow, Frederick Daniel 1856 births 1915 deaths British Merchant Navy officers British Merchant Service personnel of World War I British military personnel killed in World War I British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Civilians killed in World War I Military personnel from Islington (district) Royal Navy officers of World War I Royal Navy recipients of the Victoria Cross Royal Naval Reserve personnel