WW1 Medal Pair – British War Medal and Victory Medal – Awarded to ROWLAND D H PARKS – Gloucestershire Regiment & Royal Engineers

MM-MED-0015

You are looking at a WW1 medal pair, British War Medal and Victory Medal, inscribed ‘31525 PTE. R.D.H.PARKS. GLOUC.R.’.

ROLAND (ROWLAND) DOUGLAS HENRY PARKS, the son of HENRY and FLORA PARKS, was born at Wrington in Somerset in 1891, and in the 1911 Census, and in later historical records unrelated to his army service, his profession is recorded as ‘wheelwright’, and this is important when you consider his army career.

ROLAND originally enlisted into the Gloucestershire Regiment, at some point between January and November 1916 it appears, based on his service number 31525, and the inscription on his medals tell us he served with the regiment overseas, in a theatre of war.

He also served with the Royal Engineers however, service number 277080. 

At the beginning of 1917, there was a significant renumbering of the Royal Engineers, with RE soldiers having to adopt a new 6 x digit number, and these new numbers were allocated in blocks, representing different parts of the corps. Service number 277080 was issued circa March 1917, and it was within the block 277001 to 282000, that was allocated to those employed in the RE works and fortress companies, specifically the “Hampshire Fortress Royal Engineers’, and it is likely ROLAND was subject to compulsory transfer from the Gloucestershire Regiment to the Engineers on account of his civilian profession as a wheelwright, with there being a severe shortage of this and other skilled trades required on the front line or supporting front line troops, and because the works and fortress companies were already on the ground, they were already on the Western Front, it is also likely ROLAND was in France serving with the Gloucester’s and remained in France at the time he transfered to the Royal Engineers.

At the end of the War, ROLAND returned to his civilian life where he continued to work as a wheelwright or general carpenter. He died in 1965. 

SELLER NOTE = Supporting documentation obtained and / or created during my research into this medal will be provided.

Postage

Postage within the United Kingdom is £4.85 via Royal Mail Tracked 48 with signature.

International postage is charged at a flat rate of £14.95 using a tracked service.

If the actual postage cost within the UK or to the destination country is lower than the amount charged, any overpayment will be refunded after dispatch.