Graham Beresford Parkinson

Major General Graham Beresford Parkinson CBE, DSO & Bar (5 November 1896 – 10 July 1979) was a professional soldier in the New Zealand Military Forces who served during the First and Second World Wars.

Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Parkinson was commissioned as a lieutenant in the New Zealand Military Forces in 1916 and served in the First World War as part of the New Zealand Field Artillery. He remained in the military during the interwar period and served in a number of staff and training positions. Following the outbreak of the Second World War, he commanded an artillery regiment in the Western Desert Campaign and participated in the Battle of Greece. In late 1941 he returned to New Zealand to command newly raised formations, but returned to the Middle East in 1943. He commanded the 6th Infantry Brigade of the 2nd New Zealand Division during the Italian Campaign, at one stage taking over temporary command of the division itself. After the war he served as Quartermaster General of the New Zealand Military Forces. He finished his military career in command of the Southern Military District. After his retirement in 1952, he lived in Christchurch. In his later years he was involved with the St. John Ambulance Association. He died in 1979 at the age of 82.

Early life
Parkinson was born on 5 November 1896 in the Wellington suburb of Mount Cook. His father, Henry Parkinson, was a school teacher. Parkinson was schooled at Greytown School and Newtown District High School. He also attended Wellington College for the final two years of his education. In 1913, he sat and passed the entrance examination for the Royal Military College in Duntroon, Australia, which set aside a limited number of enrollments for New Zealanders. He entered Duntroon the following year and graduated in April 1916.

Military career
Commissioned as a lieutenant in the Royal New Zealand Artillery, Perkinson was posted to Trentham Military Camp where he was an instructor. Nearly a year later, in June 1917, he join the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and embarked for the Western Front. He acquitted himself well in his duties with the New Zealand Field Artillery (NZFA) and became known as a reliable officer. By the end of the war, he was brigade major of the NZFA. He returned to New Zealand in 1919 and took up a posting as adjutant to the Wellington Garrison Artillery Division.

In 1920, Parkinson was part of the Fiji Expeditionary Force. This was raised following a request from the Fijian government for military forces to support local police dealing with striking labourers and farmers. The force, numbering about 55 men and under the command of the then Major Edward Puttick, was based on Fiji for two months before returning home. Promoted to captain the following year, he spent two years in Dunedin instructing the Territorial Force artillery, before being posted to Auckland. There, he was in charge of harbour defences. In 1925, he was sent to a gunnery course in England and for the following two years, was seconded to the Royal Artillery. He returned to New Zealand in 1927, accompanied by his wife Barbara, who he had married in Birmingham. A series of staff and instructional postings in Wellington, and then Auckland, followed. He was promoted to major in 1932 and to lieutenant colonel in September 1939, at which time he was commander of the Royal New Zealand Artillery.

Second World War
Following the outbreak of the Second World War, Parkinson was seconded to the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2NZEF). He was given command of the 4th Field Artillery Regiment and embarked with the First Echelon of the 2NZEF in early 1940. After serving in the initial stages of the Western Desert Campaign, for which he was mentioned in dispatches, he led the regiment well during the Battle of Greece. He was later awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO), gazetted on 14 April 1942, due in part to his service during the battle. In late 1941, Parkinson, newly promoted to brigadier, returned to New Zealand to take over the newly formed 1st New Zealand Army Tank Brigade. After Japan's entry into the war, he took over command of the 7th Infantry Brigade, the army reserve in New Zealand for several months before reverting to his previous command. The tank brigade was eventually disbanded when the 4th Infantry Brigade, based in Egypt, was converted to armour. Parkinson returned to the Middle East and took over command of the 6th Infantry Brigade. He led the brigade during the final stages of the war in North Africa before taking it to Italy.

In March 1944, Parkinson became temporary major general and commander of the 2nd New Zealand Division after its nominal commander, Howard Kippenberger, was wounded. He led the division through the Battle of Monte Cassino and, although later criticised for being overly cautious during the battle, was awarded a bar to his DSO for his leadership during this time. After the battle he reverted to command of his infantry brigade, which performed well in the later stages of the Italian Campaign. For his services during the fighting in Italy, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire and was also made an Officer of the United States Legion of Merit.

Later life
After a period in command of all 2NZEF troops in Egypt, Parkinson returned to New Zealand in late 1945 and was appointed Quartermaster General of the New Zealand Military Forces, based in Wellington. After serving in this capacity for nearly a year, he was posted to London for a three year term as the New Zealand military liaison officer. In 1949, he took up command of the Southern Military District. He retired from the military in 1952 with the rank of major general.

In his later years, Parkinson lived in Christchurch and was involved with the St John Ambulance Association for which he was appointed an Officer of the Order of St. John. He died on 10 July 1979, survived by his wife. The couple had no children. He is buried at Ruru Lawn Cemetery in Christchurch.