Trafford

Born at 2 Egerton Street, Sale on the 22nd February 1911 (??? not on 1911
Census), the birth being registered during the June quarter 1911 in the
Bucklow R.D. - ref: 8a/169, the youngest son of Samuel Parsonage and
Barbara Murray.

1901 Census 2 Egerton Street, Sale.   Samuel (Senior) aged: 42 - born:
Chester.- occ: Greengrocer Hawker.    Emma - aged: 40 - born:Wales.   Plus
6 children

1911 Census - No Trace.    His parents were residing at 2 Egerton Street,
Sale.   Head of household - Samuel Parsonage - Married - aged: 50 - occ:
Greengrocer - born:Chester.   Also - Barbara Parsonage - Wife - aged: 41 -
born; Manchester.   Plus 5 children - aged: 4 - 17.

Attended St. Joseph's School.   Employed as a Plasterer at Stretford.   
Joined Army (RA) in 1940.    Member of Wingate's Airbourne Commandos.

1939 National Registration - 12 Dunber Lane, Ashton upon Mersey.   Barbara
Mussay - Widowed - born on the 11th February 1878 - occ: Incapacitated.  
Samuel Parsonage - Single - born on the 22nd February 1911 - occ:
Plasterer.   Ellen Parsonage - Single - born on the 4th January 1916 - occ:
Electrical Meter Tester.   Joseph Parsonage - Single - born on the 13th uly
1926 - At School.

Samuel enlisted in the latter half of 1940, joining the Royal Artillery.  
Posted to India where he was stationed for three years before joining 160
Field Regiment that specialised in jungle warfare.   This led him to
becoming a "Chindit" a specially trained unit for penetrating deep behind
the Japanese lines.   The Chindits suffered long marches through dense
hilly jungle with limited rations and were weakened by diseases such as
Malaria and Dysentery.

Samuel was wounded on the 23rd May 1944 and was carried along by his
comrades through this harse terrain until he succumbed to exposure.  He was
buried where he died, in the jungle south of Megaung, Burma.

Death reported in the 07/07/1944 edition of the Sale & Stretford Guardian.

His elder brother was killed in France during the 1st W.W.

Article in the 27/10/1944 edition of the local newspaper - His mother had
heard from one of his mates that he had been badly injured in a battle.  
They had five days march before they could get to evacuate the wounded by
air.   His colleagues carried him for 2 days, but he died of exposure and
was buried in the hills south of Megaung.