Frederick Daniel Parslow

Lieutenant, Royal Naval Reserve

VC
Register No.
965 (Alf's numbering, from The Register of the Victoria Cross, 1997)
Rank
Lieutenant (register: Mercantile Marine Master) all Lieutenants →
Unit
Royal Naval Reserve all Royal Naval Reserve VCs →
Date of action
4 July 1915 on this day → all of 1915 →
Conflict / campaign
First World War
London Gazette
24th May 1919 on this day → all of 1919 →
Born
14th April 1856 at London
Died
the bridge of H.M. Horse Transport Anglo-California
Award
Posthumous all posthumous VCs →
Memorial / grave
at Queenstown and on the Tower Hill Memorial, London

Digest of citation

HM Horse Transport Anglo-California, completely unarmed, was attacked, on the surface, by a German submarine on 4th July 1915, south-west of Queenstown, Ireland. The submarine, in spite of the fact that Lieutenant Parslow, commanding, the Transport, kept altering the course, made occasional hits. The submarine hoisted the single "abandon the vessel as fast as possible." Lieutenant Parslow stopped the transport and was about to give the order to abandon ship, when a message was recieved, from a destroyer, to hold on as long as possible: so he got the Anglo-California under way again. At this, the U-boat opened up a very heavy fire, doing great damage to the transport. Lieutenant Parslow remained on the bridge throughout the whole attack, he was entirely without protection and was killed when the bridge was wrecked

From Alf Askin's research notes

Reproduced as Alf wrote it, c. 2000–2005. Spelling and abbreviations are his own.

PARSLOW, Frederick Daniel. (reg No. 965).

Lieutenant. Royal Naval Reserve.

London Gazetted on 24th May 1919.

Born on 14th April 1856 at London.

Killed on the bridge of H.M. Horse Transport Anglo-California at sea on 4th July 1915, south-west of Queenstown, Ireland.

Memorial on grave at Queenstown and on the Tower Hill Memorial, London.

Digest of Citation reads: HM Horse Transport Anglo-California, completely unarmed, was attacked, on the surface, by a German submarine on 4th July 1915, south-west of Queenstown, Ireland. The submarine, in spite of the fact that Lieutenant Parslow, commanding, the Transport, kept altering the course, made occasional hits. The submarine hoisted the single "abandon the vessel as fast as possible." Lieutenant Parslow stopped the transport and was about to give the order to abandon ship, when a message was recieved, from a destroyer, to hold on as long as possible: so he got the Anglo-California under way again. At this, the U-boat opened up a very heavy fire, doing great damage to the transport. Lieutenant Parslow remained on the bridge throughout the whole attack, he was entirely without protection and was killed when the bridge was wrecked.

at sea on 4th July 1915, south-west of Queenstown, Ireland.

Register note: Civilian; posthumously promoted to RNR Lieutenant

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Alf recorded the memorial as: at Queenstown and on the Tower Hill Memorial, London

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