Herbert Samuel Parfitt

Lance-Sergeant - Service No. 20463 - 2nd, 7th & 12th Battalions York & Lancaster Regiment

Herbert Samuel Parfitt, the son of Samuel Parfitt and his wife Hannah (Parfitt), was born 10th October 1887 in Mulbarton, Norfolk. He was the eldest of two sons, the other being Frederick James Parfitt, born 1890. Samuel and Hannah had married at Intwood, Norfolk, on 5th October 1880 when Samuel was nearly 41 years old, having been born at East Carleton on 26th December 1839 and completed several years of army service before retiring as a Chelsea Army Pensioner. Hannah, by contrast, was a sprightly 32 having been born at Keswick, Norfolk, on 25th August 1848. Hannah unfortunately died, in Mulbarton, just short of her 41st birthday, on 15th August 1899. Samuel soldiered on for another couple of years until he also died, in Mulbarton, on 29th September 1901 at the age of 61. Up until his death Samuel had been living on his army pension and bring up his two sons but what exactly happened to the boys when their father died, they were still just 13 and 11, is unclear. It appears they lodged with family or friends and worked on the land when they left school. For a time the two brothers stayed with George Gowing and his family, a grocer in Mulbarton.

On 26th December 1911 Herbert (always known as Sam) married Blanche Briggs at Swardeston. Blanche was born on 21st December 1891 in Tasburgh, Norfolk, the daughter of George (Trilby) Briggs and his wife Rose (Sayer) who, at the time of Blanche's wedding, were living in Tar Row by the Swardeston turnpike from where George worked as a road mender.

Herbert and Blanche had eleven children, George (1912), Edith (1914), Frederick (1920), Jack (1921), Joyce (1924), Joan (1926), Patrick (1927), Peter (1927), Daphne (1929), Margaret (1930) and Michael (1933). Most of their children married and produced grandchildren for Herbert and Blanche although their son Jack died in WW2 and his story is told in that section of this website. Herbert died in 1966 and Blanche in 1969, they are buried together in Swardeston churchyard.

On 26th April 1906 Herbert joined the Prince of Wales Own Norfolk Royal Garrison Artillery (Militia) as a gunner, signing on for six years and naming his brother, Fred, as his one and only next-of-kin. At the time he was 18 and working as a gardener. On 25th April 1912 he was discharged from the militia with "very good" character.

Following the outbreak of war in August 1914 Herbert re-enlisted into the army on 17th November 1914, initially into the Royal Garrison Artillery as a gunner (Service No, 5019). At this point Herbert and Blanche had two children, George and Edith, and had been married almost three years (see picture). As with so many families the war was to put their lives on hold and their next child, Frederick, was not born until 1920. On 7th June 1915 Herbert was transferred to the 3rd Battalion York & Lancaster Regiment with the rank of private and then, on 18th August 1915, he was posted to France with the 2nd Battalion. Having been treated in the field on a couple of occasions at the end of 1915 for debility Herbert was finally hospitalised at Étaples, near Boulogne, on 30th December and shipped back to England (Newhaven) for treatment for bronchitis. He rejoined the 12th Battalion York & Lancaster in France on 23rd August 1916 and, apart from suffering for four days with a septic toe in March 1917 and being promoted to corporal on 24th May, made it through to New Years Eve 1917 unscathed, at which point he was granted two weeks leave back home in England. Two weeks earlier Herbert had been promoted once more, this time to the rank of lance-sergeant. On 10th February 1918 Herbert was posted to the 7th Battalion York & Lancaster and on the 14th July received a gun-shot wound to his left elbow that resulted in hospitalisation back in England a week later. From 22nd July to 12th September Herbert was treated for a perforating wound to his arm that apparently showed "no fracture but many bone splinters". Eventually Herbert was transferred to hospital in Ripon, Yorkshire, for further treatment, leaving hospital on 1st November 1918. Herbert subsequently received various non-combat role postings until finally being demobilised to the reserves on 24th April 1919. His army records survive in some detail, as the above bears witness, and we know he was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal.

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