Captain Parker was a close friend of Admiral Lord Nelson whose thigh was shattered by shot during an ill-fated raid on Boulogne on 15 August 1801. He was taken to lodgings in Middle Street where he died aged just 22. Nelson was stricken with grief, arranging and paying for a funeral in the town with full military honours before erecting a monument to Parker’s memory – the only monument in this country known to have been donated personally by Lord Nelson. At Nelson’s request, some of Parker’s hair was preserved for eventual burial with the admiral, a token of their special friendship.
From a naval family background, Edward Thornbrough Parker was born in 1779 and entered the service as midshipman in 1790 serving in a series of ships before joining Mermaid on the outbreak of war with France. In 1796, he passed his lieutenancy exams, his career until then following the familiar pattern of many young officers. Then a still mysterious but obviously traumatic event took place which cast a shadow over Parker’s professional career. It was in this distressed condition that Nelson first encountered him, likely in 1798.
The admiral took charge of Parker, securing him a place in his flagship Foudroyant after the battle of the Nile. Under Nelson’s patronage ‛little Parker’ was rapidly promoted to commander accompanying the admiral in negotiations following the battle of Copenhagen in 1801. By now, Parker was not only acting as Nelson’s unofficial aide-de-camp and amanuensis but also as informal go-between between the admiral and his mistress Emma, Lady Hamilton.
Parker described Nelson in vivid terms as ‛my friend, my nurse, my attendant, my patron, my protector, nay him who the world cannot find words sufficient to praise’. Proudly calling himself a ‛Nelsonite’, he accompanied Nelson and Emma on holiday in England, forging intimate ties with them both. Nelson was equally fond of this young officer, frequently referring to him in intimate terms as his ‛dear son and friend’.
When Nelson was posted to command the anti-invasion forces in the Channel, Parker assisted in planning operations taking the leading role in a failed boat attack against French forces at Boulogne on 15 August 1801. During the mission, Parker’s thigh was shattered by shot. He was taken to lodgings in Middle Street where after suffering terribly and enduring the amputation of his leg, he died on 27 September.
Nelson and Emma were stricken with grief, arranging and paying for a funeral in the town with full military honours before erecting a monument to Parker’s memory, the words on the tablets may well have been chosen by him. Nelson was seen to weep and hold himself steady against a tree by the graveside and at his request, some of Parker’s hair was preserved for eventual burial with the admiral, a token of an extraordinary and intimate friendship. This is the only monument in this country known to have been donated personally by Lord Nelson.
Location
- Address: St George’s Churchyard, Deal, CT14 6BA
- Google map: Latitude: 51.22475; Longitude: 1.40056
- Year: c1801 (restored 1999)
- By: Admiral Lord Nelson