The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of Lieutenant Parker Roy Allworth, 8th Brigade Australian Field Artillery, First World War

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Gerard Pratt, the story for this day was on Lieutenant Parker Roy Allworth, 8th Brigade Australian Field Artillery, First World War.

Lieutenant Parker Roy Allworth, 8th Brigade Australian Field Artillery
KIA 5 June 1917
No photograph in collection
Story delivered 28 October 2013
Today we remember and pay tribute to Lieutenant Parker Roy Allworth.
Parker Allworth was the son of Fanny Ann and Edward Richard Allworth, born in Wellington, New South Wales. He grew up living between Vaucluse in Sydney and Tenterfield in rural New South Wales, where his father was a surveyor. Parker attended the Cleveland Street Public School, where he won a scholarship to Sydney High School. For a number of years he engaged in surveying operations in the western districts of New South Wales, probably with his father, but after matriculating from high school at the age of 15 he went into law. He was serving as an articled law clerk in 1915, but in November of that year he left his position to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force.
Parker Allworth, as an educated man with a surveying background, was an ideal candidate for and was posted to the Field Artillery. Artillery underwent a rapid transformation during the First World War and became increasingly technically difficult. Allworth proved an able artillery man and, late in 1916, he was commissioned second lieutenant.
In January 1917 the 3rd Australian Divisional Artillery underwent a period of reorganisation. As a part of this process, Allworth was transferred to the 30th Battery, 8th Field Artillery Brigade. Even in the relatively quiet period of winter the brigade was regularly employed in the line providing counter-battery or harassing fire on German artillery and positions, or in supporting infantry operations.
Artillery batteries, although often far behind the front line, were constant targets for the enemy. Accurate or lucky fire could cause serious casualties among the men and animals working on or around the guns. In the early hours of 5 June 1917 Lieutenant Allworth, having been promoted just a few weeks earlier, was asleep in a dugout near his battery position. At about 7 am the dugout was hit by an enemy shell. Allworth and another lieutenant were killed instantly. They were both buried in a British Military Cemetery near Armentières. Lieutenant Parker Roy Allworth was 23 years old.
His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, along with more than 60,000 others from the First World War.
This is but one of the many stories of courage and sacrifice told here at the
Australian War Memorial. We now remember Lieutenant Parker Roy Allworth, and
all of those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.