Thomas Henry Parry
Encyclopedia
Thomas Henry Parry DSO
, DL
(1881 – 8 October 1939) was a Welsh Liberal
politician, lawyer and soldier.
newspaper in its obituary of Parry reported he was aged 58 at death making his date of birth 1881. This is also the date given in the publication Who was Who. This date seems the more likely as it was reported at the time Parry was adopted as the Liberal candidate for the Flint Burghs
, by-election
in 1913 that he was aged 32 years. His age at death was also given as 58 years in the Law Journal.
in Flintshire
the son of the late Thomas Parry JP
. He was educated at University College, Aberystwyth and Christ's College, Cambridge
where he received his MA and LL.B
degrees with honours.
and practised as a member of Chester
and North Wales
Circuit. At the outbreak of the First World War, Parry enlisted and was a subaltern in the 5th Royal Welch Fusiliers
, Territorials. He served in the European theatre, Gallipoli
, Egypt and Palestine between 1914 and 1919. He was wounded at Suvla Bay and hospitalised in Cairo. By the time of his injury at Suvla, where he also contracted frostbite, Parry had risen to the rank of Captain. He was also wounded three times in action in Gaza
in which conflict he won the Distinguished Service Order
in 1917. For his bravery in other actions Parry was mentioned in despatches and won the Order of the Nile
.
After the war, Parry continued to be associated with the Royal Welch Fusiliers. By November 1918 he had achieved the rank of Major, by May 1919 he had risen to the rank of Colonel and by August 1919 he was Lieutenant-Colonel. He ended up Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding the 5/6 Royal Welch Fusiliers and was Military Member of the Flintshire Territorial Force Association.
in January 1913 following the death of the sitting Liberal member for Flint Burghs
, James Woolley Summers. The constituency included Parry’s home town of Mold where he was a prominent lawyer and he was elected with a majority of 211 votes over the Unionist
, J H Roberts – as usual in these contests a reduced majority from the previous election when Summers had a majority of 509. The constituency disappeared in boundary changes in 1918 so Parry transferred to the county seat of Flintshire
. Parry received the coalition government coupon at the 1918 general election
and was returned unopposed At the 1922 general election
Parry faced Labour
and Unionist opponents but held the seat. Labour did not contest the seat at the 1923 election
but again Parry held off a challenge from the Tories. He was unable to contest Flintshire at the 1924 general election
through illness brought on as a result of his war wounds and the seat passed into Conservative hands.
In 1922, Parry had been appointed as Deputy Lieutenant
of Flintshire
. One of his other duties was as a member of the Regional Pension Advisory Committee for Wales.
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(1881 – 8 October 1939) was a Welsh Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician, lawyer and soldier.
Date of birth
One usually reliable source shows Parry’s date of birth as 21 April 1878, however The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
newspaper in its obituary of Parry reported he was aged 58 at death making his date of birth 1881. This is also the date given in the publication Who was Who. This date seems the more likely as it was reported at the time Parry was adopted as the Liberal candidate for the Flint Burghs
Flint Boroughs (UK Parliament constituency)
Flint Boroughs was a parliamentary constituency in north-east Wales which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and its predecessors, from 1542 until it was abolished for the 1918 general election.-Boundaries:From its first known general...
, by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in 1913 that he was aged 32 years. His age at death was also given as 58 years in the Law Journal.
Birth and education
Parry was born in MoldMold, Flintshire
Mold is a town in Flintshire, North Wales, on the River Alyn. It is the administrative seat of Flintshire County Council, and was also the county town of Clwyd from 1974 to 1996...
in Flintshire
Flintshire
Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
the son of the late Thomas Parry JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
. He was educated at University College, Aberystwyth and Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...
where he received his MA and LL.B
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
degrees with honours.
Law and the Army
Parry was called to the Bar at the Inner TempleInner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
and practised as a member of Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
and North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
Circuit. At the outbreak of the First World War, Parry enlisted and was a subaltern in the 5th Royal Welch Fusiliers
Royal Welch Fusiliers
The Royal Welch Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. It was founded in 1689 to oppose James II and the imminent war with France...
, Territorials. He served in the European theatre, Gallipoli
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
, Egypt and Palestine between 1914 and 1919. He was wounded at Suvla Bay and hospitalised in Cairo. By the time of his injury at Suvla, where he also contracted frostbite, Parry had risen to the rank of Captain. He was also wounded three times in action in Gaza
Battle of Gaza
Battle of Gaza may refer to:* Battle of Gaza , fought between Ptolemy I of Egypt and Demetrius I of Macedon* Battle of Raphia, also known as Battle of Gaza, fought between Ptolemy IV of Egypt and Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom in 217 BC* Three World War I battles between British...
in which conflict he won the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
in 1917. For his bravery in other actions Parry was mentioned in despatches and won the Order of the Nile
Order of the Nile
The Order of the Nile is Egypt's highest state honor. The award was instituted in 1915 by Sultan Hussein Kamel to be awarded by Egypt for exceptional services to the nation...
.
After the war, Parry continued to be associated with the Royal Welch Fusiliers. By November 1918 he had achieved the rank of Major, by May 1919 he had risen to the rank of Colonel and by August 1919 he was Lieutenant-Colonel. He ended up Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding the 5/6 Royal Welch Fusiliers and was Military Member of the Flintshire Territorial Force Association.
Politics
Parry entered Parliament at a by-electionBy-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in January 1913 following the death of the sitting Liberal member for Flint Burghs
Flint Boroughs (UK Parliament constituency)
Flint Boroughs was a parliamentary constituency in north-east Wales which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and its predecessors, from 1542 until it was abolished for the 1918 general election.-Boundaries:From its first known general...
, James Woolley Summers. The constituency included Parry’s home town of Mold where he was a prominent lawyer and he was elected with a majority of 211 votes over the Unionist
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, J H Roberts – as usual in these contests a reduced majority from the previous election when Summers had a majority of 509. The constituency disappeared in boundary changes in 1918 so Parry transferred to the county seat of Flintshire
Flintshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Flintshire was a parliamentary constituency in North-East Wales which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1542 until it was abolished for the 1950 general election.- Boundaries :...
. Parry received the coalition government coupon at the 1918 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
and was returned unopposed At the 1922 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
Parry faced Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
and Unionist opponents but held the seat. Labour did not contest the seat at the 1923 election
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
but again Parry held off a challenge from the Tories. He was unable to contest Flintshire at the 1924 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
through illness brought on as a result of his war wounds and the seat passed into Conservative hands.
In 1922, Parry had been appointed as Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of Flintshire
Flintshire
Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
. One of his other duties was as a member of the Regional Pension Advisory Committee for Wales.