Graham Beresford Parkinson
Born 5 Nov 1896 - Died 12 Jul 1979
- Service number
- WWI 50614 AWMM
- WWII 1522 AWMM
- WWII 30002 AWMM
- Also known as
- Ike AWMM
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Last rank
- WW2 Major General/Military AWMM New Zealand Southern Military District AWMM
- War
About
- Title
- —
- Forenames
- Graham Beresford AWMM
- Surname
- Parkinson AWMM
- Ingoa
- —
- Also known as
- Ike AWMM
- Service number
- WWI 50614 AWMM
- WWII 1522 AWMM
- WWII 30002 AWMM
- Gender
- Male AWMM
- Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
- —
- Religion
- —
Images
Documents
About birth
- Birth
- 5 Nov 1896 AWMM
- Date of birth
- —
- Place of birth
- —
- Birth notes
- —
- Address before enlistment
- WW1 Wellington, New Zealand AWMM
- WW2 6 Easdale Street, Wellington, New Zealand AWMM
- WW2 6 Easdale Street, Wellington, New Zealand AWMM
- Post war occupation
- Soldier/Military AWMM
- Next of kin
- WW1 H.A. Parkinson (father). 137 Coromandel Street, Wellington, New Zealand AWMM
- WW2 Mrs Barbara Waiohine Parkinson (wife), 6 Easdale Street, Wellington, New Zealand AWMM
- WW2 Mrs Barbara Waiohine Parkinson (wife), 6 Easdale Street, Wellington, New Zealand AWMM
- Relationship status
- Pre 12 Jun 1917 AWMM Single/WWI AWMM
- Married/WWII AWMM
- Married/WWII AWMM
Wars and conflicts
- War
- Campaign
- France and Germany (TBC) AWMM
- Greece AWMM
- Sangro River AWMM
- Monte Cassino AWMM
- Italy AWMM
- 1914-1916 AWMM Egypt AWMM
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Service number
- WWI 50614 AWMM
- WWII 1522 AWMM
- WWII 30002 AWMM
- Military service
- Served with the NZ Forces in Fiji during the Indian riots, 1920 AWMM
- Director of NZ Artillery, 1936 AWMM
- NZ Army Tank Brigade AWMM
- 6 Infantry Brigade AWMM
- 7 Infantry Brigade AWMM
- Royal Artillery, NZ Division AWMM
- Army Headquarters AWMM
- Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers
- —
Military decorations
- Medals and Awards
- Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) AWMM
- Companion of the Distinguished Service Order and bar (DSO*) AWMM
DSO: NZ Gazette, 21 September 1944.Citation: "This officer left New Zealand with the main body and commanded his Regiment (4th Field Regiment, NZ Artillery) with distinction in the Western Desert in 1940, and in Greece and Egypt in 1941. During the campaign in Greece, his resource and leadership were largely responsible for the successful withdrawal of a large section of the force from the Penios Gorge on 20th April 1941. At the Battle of Molo and during the subsequent withdrawal he showed great coolness and gallantry. Since his return to Egypt he has been untiring in his efforts to reorganise and retrain his Regiment, largely depleted by casualties in Greece and Crete and by the many demands on it for staff and officer cadet personnel, to its previous high state of efficiency. Brigadier Parkinson has given sterling and unselfish service over a long period. He has now been selected to raise and command a New Zealand Tank Brigade." AWMM - Officer of the Order of St John (OStJ) AWMM
- British War Medal (1914-1920) AWMM
- Victory Medal AWMM
- 1939-1945 Star AWMM
- Africa Star (8th Army clasp) AWMM
- Italy Star AWMM
- Defence Medal AWMM
- War Medal 1939-1945 with oak leaf AWMM
- New Zealand War Service Medal AWMM
- New Zealand Long and Efficient Service Medal AWMM
- Legion of Merit: Degree of Officer (USA) AWMM
- Mentioned in Despatches (MiD) AWMM
Training and Enlistment
- Military training
- Graduate of Royal Military College, Duntroon, 1916 AWMM
- Branch Trade Proficiency
- —
- Enlistment
- WW1 Soldier/Military AWMM
- WW2 Officer of Regular Forces/Civilian AWMM
- WW2 Officer of Regular Forces/Civilian AWMM
- Age on enlistment
- —
- Occupation before enlistment
- —
Embarkations
- Embarkation details
- WW1 12 Jun 1917-15 Aug 1917 AWMM
HMNZT 86 AWMM Vessel was Maunganui AWMM Lieutenant/Military AWMM 27th Reinforcements New Zealand Field Artillery AWMM New Zealand Expeditionary Force AWMM - WW2 Lieutenant Colonel/Military AWMM Headquarters, 4 Field Regiment, Royal New Zealand Artillery AWMM Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force, First Echelon AWMM
2nd Embarkation AWMM - WW2 Brigadier/Military AWMM Headquarters, Anti-tank Brigade AWMM Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force AWMM
3rd Embarkation AWMM
- WW1 12 Jun 1917-15 Aug 1917 AWMM
Prisoner of war
- Capture details
- —
- Days interned
- —
- Liberation date
- —
- POW liberation details
- —
- Liberation Repatriation
- —
- POW serial number
- —
Medical history
- Medical notes
- —
Last known rank
- Last rank
- WW2 Major General/Military AWMM
New Zealand Southern Military District AWMM - Last rank
- —
Biographical information
- Maj.-Gen. G.B. ("Ike") Parkinson, C.B.E., D.S.O. & Bar , born in Wellington and educated at Wellington College, entered the Royal Military College at Duntroon, Australia, in 1914. He was posted to the Royal New Zealand Artillery and served in France and Belgium in 1917-18. His post between the wars included that of Officer Commanding RNZA, Central Command, Wellington 1931-32 and Commander RNZA at Army Headquarters 1937 39. He was Commanding Officer 4th Field Regiment, RNZA at the beginning of WW2 and later (1944) was temporarily Commander of the 2nd New Zealand Division and the New Zealand Divisional Artillery.
Son of Ethel Constance Parkinson and Henry Ainslie Parkinson.
Husband of Barbara Waiohine nee Howe.
Joined 1 NZ Expeditionary Force (#50614), 12 June 1917.
Served as Adjutant as Temporary Captain of 1 Brigade, NZ Field Artillery. Discharged 1919.
Commanding Officer (CO) of 4 Field Regiment, January 1940 - August 1941.
CO of 1 Army Tank Brigade in NZ, August 1941-42.
CO of 7 NZ Infantry Brigade in NZ, 1942.
CO of 6 Infantry Brigade in Italy, April 1943 - June 1944; August 1944 - June 1945.
Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 2 NZ Division, 3-27 March 1944.
Commander Royal Artillery (CRA) of 2 NZ Division, June - August 1944.
Quartermaster General (QMG) of Army HQ, January - September 1946.
Military Liaison Officer, London, UK, 1946-49.
Commandant of NZ Southern Military District (SMD), 1949-51. AWMM
About death
- Death
- 12 Jul 1979 AWMM
Age 82 AWMM - Date of death
- —
- Age at death
- —
- Place of death
- —
- Cause of death
- —
- Death notes
- —
- Cemetery
- Ruru Lawn Cemetery, off Ruru Road, Christchurch, New Zealand AWMM Block IF Plot 87 AWMM
- Cemetery name
- —
- Grave reference
- —
- Obituary
- —
- Memorial name
- —
- Memorial reference
- —
Memorial
- Memorial name
- —
Related objects
Sources
- External links
- Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/5p12/1
Further Reference - New Zealand Electronic Text Collection topic page
http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/name-208925.html
Further Reference - Burdon, R. (1959). 24 Battalion. Wellington, Dept. of Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-24Ba.html
Further Reference - Military Personnel File
https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search/#/entity/aims-archive/R24062349
Further Reference - Military Personnel File
https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search/#/entity/aims-archive/R24268642
Further Reference - Military Personnel File
https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search/#/entity/aims-archive/R24268643
Further Reference - Military Personnel File
https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search/#/entity/aims-archive/R24268644
Further Reference - Military Personnel File
https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search/#/entity/aims-archive/R24268645
Further Reference - Military Personnel File
https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search/#/entity/aims-archive/R24268646
Further Reference - Military Personnel File
https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search/#/entity/aims-archive/R24268647
Further Reference - Wikidata Entity
http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q5592668
Further Reference
- Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
- References
- New Zealand Army Expeditionary Force. (1918). Nominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force Volume III. Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
67: 27 - Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (1941). Nominal Roll Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force No. 1 (Embarkations to 31st March, 1940). Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
WW2 1: WW2 139 - Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (1945). Nominal Roll Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force No. 9 (Embarkations from 1st July, 1942 to 31st December, 1942). Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
WW2 9: WW2 307 - Haigh, J., Polaschek, A. (Eds.). (1993). New Zealand and the Distinguished Service Order. Christchurch, N.Z.: Authors.
- Documents relating to Major-General Graham Beresford Parkinson. Auckland War Memorial Museum Library. MS 93/21
- McClymont, W. (1959). To Greece. Wellington, N.Z.: Department Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
- Davin, D. (1953). Crete. Wellington, N.Z.: Department of Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
- New Zealand Army Expeditionary Force. (1918). Nominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force Volume III. Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
The development of the Online Cenotaph is an ongoing process; updates, new images and records are added weekly. In some cases, records have yet to be confirmed by Museum staff, and there could be mistakes or omissions in the information provided.
Online Cenotaph Data by Auckland War Memorial Museum is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.