Parker, Clemence

Clemence Leo Parker was born on 20 December 1917, the eldest son of Frederick Leo Parker (1891-1982) and Agnes Mary Parker (nee Burkett) (1893-1964). Known as Clem, his name was often spelled Clement in official records by mistake. Clem was the middle child, with two older sisters, Agnes and Leonce, younger brother Noel and baby sister Mollie.

During the Second World War, Clem undertook preliminary training in Levin then left New Zealand for Canada on the ship Aorangi. There he completed his training with the Royal Canadian Air Force at No. 3 Wireless School in Winnipeg, Manitoba and No. 4 Bombing and Gunnery School in Fingal, Ontario. He graduated on 4 August 1941 and was awarded his Wireless Operator badge along with a promotion to the rank of Sergeant.

Just over a year later, on Thursday 20 August 1942, Clem was taken prisoner by the Germans. He was part of a four-man crew from 39 Squadron, a coastal command unit based in Malta with the motto Die Noctuque meaning “By day and night”. The men were flying a British-made Bristol Beaufort bomber that was shot down by anti-aircraft fire off Punta Stilo in Italy. All four survived but were imprisoned in German POW camps. Clem and his fellow Air Gunner Philip Scullin were taken to Stalag VIII-B (later known as Stalag 344) in Lamsdorf, southern Poland and spent nearly three years there. Some 300,000 Allied prisoners passed through the camp, in a village since renamed Łambinowice, during the course of the war. Those like Clem who were still there in January 1945, when the Soviet Red Army was approaching, were forced to undertake a “death march” west to Berlin.

Clem was liberated in April 1945 and spent time recuperating in England where he wrote to his mother complaining about the high price of consumer goods. He arrived home in New Plymouth on 5 September 1945 and was later awarded the War Medal 1939-1945 and the New Zealand Service War Medal.

Clem married Nancy Edith Lobb (1923-2022) on 26 October 1946, just a few days after Nancy’s parents Ivan and Laura celebrated their silver wedding anniversary, having married on 22 October 1921. Clem and Nancy had two sons, Wayne and Glenn, and lived in New Plymouth for the rest of their lives with Clem working as a nurseryman.

Clemence Parker died in New Plymouth on 7 June 2003 at the age of 84.