Search results
Shot and killed
- But unlike those whose bodies were never found and who have no headstone, Private Parr entered history as the first of his comrades to die fighting Germany. He would miss the horrors of the trenches, poison gas and mechanised warfare - shot and killed shortly after his 17th birthday.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28442670
People also ask
Who was John Parr?
What happened to Private John Parr?
Where is Private John Parr buried?
Was John Parr the first British soldier killed in WW1?
The exact circumstances of his death remain unclear, and historical research in 2014 has posited the theory that he may have been killed by friendly fire rather than that from a German patrol as previously thought, [citation needed] or during the Battle of Mons on 23 August 1914. [4]
Aug 4, 2014 · One hundred years on from the start of World War One, a ceremony is being held at the grave of John Parr - the teenager thought to be the first British soldier killed in action in Europe.
Aug 8, 2024 · Historians continue to debate the subject, but the most common account is John was sent forward to find a missing unit when he was cut down by German rifle fire on 21 August 1914. John is buried at St Symphorien Military Cemetery, near Mons, Belgium. Discover the story of Private John Parr.
Aug 4, 2014 · Private John Parr was just 17 years old when he became the first British soldier to lose his life. But just how he died is still a mystery. Robert Hall reports.
Apr 23, 2014 · Private John Parr of the Middlesex Regiment, the first British soldier to be killed in the First World War, may have been a victim of ‘friendly fire’. Speaking to The Sunday Times historian Jon Cooksey said: ‘There was no German soldier around to shoot at him.
Aug 19, 2024 · Private John Parr holds the sad distinction of being the British Empire’s first casualty of the First World War. Born in London, John had actually been a career military man, despite being just 17 years old when he was killed.
It is believed that they encountered a cavalry patrol from the German First Army, and that Parr remained to hold off the enemy whilst his companion returned to report. He was killed in the ensuing rifle fire.
