Francis Newton Parsons
Lieutenant, 1st Battalion. Essex Regiment
- Register No.
- 966 (Alf's numbering, from The Register of the Victoria Cross, 1997)
- Rank
- Lieutenant all Lieutenants →
- Unit
- 1st Battalion. Essex Regiment all Essex Regiment VCs →
- Date of action
- 18 February 1900 on this day → all of 1900 →
- Conflict / campaign
- Second Boer War
- London Gazette
- 20th November 1900 on this day → all of 1900 →
- Born
- the 23rd March, 1875 at Dover, Kent
- Died
- in action on 10th March 1900 at Driefontein, South Africa
- Memorial / grave
- on a tablet, unveiled by Sir Evelyn Wood VC in 1903
From Alf Askin's research notes
Reproduced as Alf wrote it, c. 2000–2005. Spelling and abbreviations are his own.
PARSONS, Francis Newton. (reg No. 966).
Lieutenant. 1st Battalion. Essex Regiment.
London Gazetted on 20th November 1900.
Born on the 23rd March, 1875 at Dover, Kent.
Killed in action on 10th March 1900 at Driefontein, South Africa.
Memorial on a tablet, unveiled by Sir Evelyn Wood VC in 1903. This tablet contains, along with Lieutenant Parsons name, seven fellow officers, one warrant officer and 198 non-commissioned officers and men of the Essex Regiment who gave their lives for their country in the Boer War. Memorial's whereabouts not known.
Digest of Citation reads: On the South Bank of the Modder river, on the morning of the 18th February 1900, Private Ferguson of the 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment fell wounded in a place devoid of any cover. Whilst crawling to cover he was again wounded: in the stomach. Lieutenant Parsons immediately went to his assistance and dressed his wounds under extremely heavy fire, going twice down to the bank of the river to get water for the wounded man, all the time under heavy fire. Eventually he was able to get Private Ferguson to a place of safety.
Additional information:. Lieutenant Parsons was the son of Charles Parsons M D and his wife Venetia Digby Parsons of Dover. He was educated at King's College School, Cambridge, followed by Dover College and eventually at Sandhurst. He joined the 1st Battalion of the 44th Essex Regiment on 29th February 1896. On 1st March 1898 he was promoted to lieutenant. He was killed in an engagement on the 10th March 1900 at Dreifontein.
Alf's notes on his life
This tablet contains, along with Lieutenant Parsons name, seven fellow officers, one warrant officer and 198 non-commissioned officers and men of the Essex Regiment who gave their lives for their country in the Boer War. Memorial's whereabouts not known. Digest of Citation reads: On the South Bank of the Modder river, on the morning of the 18th February 1900, Private Ferguson of the 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment fell wounded in a place devoid of any cover. Whilst crawling to cover he was again wounded: in the stomach. Lieutenant Parsons immediately went to his assistance and dressed his wounds under extremely heavy fire, going twice down to the bank of the river to get water for the wounded man, all the time under heavy fire. Eventually he was able to get Private Ferguson to a place of safety.
Additional information
Lieutenant Parsons was the son of Charles Parsons M D and his wife Venetia Digby Parsons of Dover. He was educated at King's College School, Cambridge, followed by Dover College and eventually at Sandhurst. He joined the 1st Battalion of the 44th Essex Regiment on 29th February 1896. On 1st March 1898 he was promoted to lieutenant. He was killed in an engagement on the 10th March 1900 at Dreifontein.
Visit the grave or memorial
Alf recorded the memorial as: on a tablet, unveiled by Sir Evelyn Wood VC in 1903
Map links open a search for the place name Alf recorded; please check opening times and exact locations before travelling. Many VC graves have since been restored by the Victoria Cross Trust.
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