Forenames

Wilfred Athol Rolf AWMM

Surname

Parker AWMM

Service number

WWII 64005 AWMM

Gender

Male AWMM

Birth

24 Feb 1915 AWMM

Address before enlistment

WW2 C/o Mrs A. Schaare, Waharoa R.D., New Zealand AWMM

Next of kin

WW2 Mrs J. Parker (mother), C/o Mrs A. Schaare, Waharoa R.D., New Zealand AWMM

Relationship status

Single AWMM

War

World War II, 1939-1945 AWMM

Armed force / branch

Army AWMM

Service number

WWII 64005 AWMM

Military service

Coastwatcher AWMM

Medals and Awards

• Mentioned in Despatches (MiD) AWMM
  08 Nov 1945 AWMM
  For exemplary conduct in coast-watching and communication duties in the Gibert Islands area in the face of the enemy, despite overwhelming odds and the knowledge that relief or escape was impossible. AWMM
• War Medal 1939-1945 AWMM
• New Zealand War Service Medal AWMM

Enlistment

WW2 Farm hand/Civilian AWMM

Embarkation details

WW2 Private AWMM 30 Infantry Battalion AWMM Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force AWMM

Capture details

WW2

Medical notes

Killed or died while a Prisoner of War, Cause of Death AWMM
Executed by Japanese whilst a prisoner of war AWMM

Last rank

Private AWMM
New Zealand Infantry, 8 Brigade Group, Signals Corps, New Zealand Coastwatchers AWMM

Son of Frank William and Jessie Parker, of Waotu, Auckland, New Zealand.

Served as a Coastwatcher on Tamanaas part of the Gilbert Group. AWMM

Death

15 Oct 1942 AWMM
Age  27 AWMM

Cause of death

Killed or died while a Prisoner of War AWMM

Memorial name

• Bourail Memorial, Bourail New Zealand War Cemetery, New Caledonia AWMM
• Betio Memorial, Tarawa, Kiribati AWMM
• Tarawa Coastwatchers Memorial AWMM
• Auckland War Memorial Museum, World War 2 Hall of Memories AWMM

Related objects

External links

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission record
  https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2187415
  Sources Used
• Warren, Geraldine and Pine, Madison. Our Coastwatchers. Auckland War Memorial Museum - Tāmaki Paenga Hira. First published: 21 April 2020
  https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/features/coastwatchers
  Further Reference

References

• Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (1941). Nominal Roll Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force No. 4 (Embarkations from 1st April, 1941 to 30 June, 1941). Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
  WW2 4: WW2 274
• The New Zealand Herald
  "Tarawa Outrage, Massacre by Japanese", N.Z. Herald, 23 Oct 1944 (copy of article in ACF27569)
• Information kindly provided by family
• Personnel - Medals and decorations - Awards to Pacific Coast watchers (1942-1946), Archives New Zealand, Wellington (R21465310)
• Mason, W.W. (1954) Prisoners of war. Wellington, N.Z.: Department of Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
• Auckland Museum. Roll of Honour, Auckland Province, 1939 - 1945. Auckland War Memorial Museum Library. MS 93/139.