Frederick Daniel Parslow

Kept an unarmed horse transport moving under submarine fire.

Frederick Daniel Parslow was born in Islington, London, in 1856 and followed a seafaring career in the Mercantile Marine. He gained his master's certificate in 1882. In November 1885 he married Frances at St Mary's Church, Islington; they had three sons and three daughters.

Parslow became master of the Anglo-Californian in 1912. During the following three years he completed numerous Atlantic voyages, including eight after the outbreak of the First World War. Merchant shipping was essential to Britain's war effort, carrying men, animals and supplies across waters threatened by German submarines.

On 4 July 1915, the unarmed Anglo-Californian was approaching Ireland from Quebec with 927 horses intended for the Western Front. The German submarine U-39 appeared nearby. Parslow manoeuvred to keep the submarine astern, increased speed and ordered a wireless distress call. The submarine opened fire, repeatedly striking the transport while Parslow altered course.

When the enemy signalled that the crew should abandon ship, Parslow stopped the engines to allow men to escape in the boats. A wireless message from a British destroyer then urged him to hold out. He restarted the ship and remained on the exposed bridge as the submarine directed heavy gunfire against the bridge and lifeboats. Parslow was killed when the upper bridge was wrecked.

His son Frederick, serving as chief officer, took over. The arrival of HMS Mentor and HMS Miranda forced the submarine to dive. The battered ship reached Queenstown, now Cobh, and most of its valuable cargo survived. Parslow was buried in Cobh Old Church Cemetery. His death in the action ended his career.

Because he had been a civilian merchant officer, recognition through the Victoria Cross required a special administrative solution. He was posthumously commissioned as a lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve, and his Victoria Cross was announced in May 1919. His son received the Distinguished Service Cross. Parslow also received Lloyd's recognition for his gallantry in preserving the ship and cargo. He was one of two Mercantile Marine masters awarded the Victoria Cross for the First World War.

Official Victoria Cross citation:

“For most conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when in command of the Horse Transport ‘Anglo-Californian’ on the 4th July, 1915.

At 8 a.m. on 4th July, 1915, a large submarine was sighted on the port beam at a distance of about one mile. The ship, which was entirely unarmed, was immediately manoeuvred to bring the submarine astern; every effort was made to increase speed, and an S.O.S. call was sent out by wireless, an answer being received from a man-of-war. At 9 a.m. the submarine opened fire, and maintained a steady fire, making occasional hits, until 10.30 a.m., meanwhile Lieutenant Parslow constantly altered course and kept the submarine astern.

At 10.30 a.m. the enemy hoisted the signal to ‘abandon the vessel as fast as possible,’ and in order to save life Lieutenant Parslow decided to obey, and stopped engines to give as many of the crew as wished an opportunity to get away in the boats. On receiving a wireless message from a destroyer, however, urging him to hold on as long as possible, he decided to get way on the ship again. The submarine then opened a heavy fire on the bridge and boats with guns and rifles, wrecking the upper bridge, killing Lieutenant Parslow, and carrying away one of the port davits, causing the boat to drop into the sea and throwing its occupants into the water.

At about 11 a.m. two destroyers arrived on the scene, and the submarine dived.

Throughout the attack Lieutenant Parslow remained on the bridge, on which the enemy fire was concentrated, entirely without protection, and by his magnificent heroism succeeded, at the cost of his own life, in saving a valuable ship and cargo for the country. He set a splendid example to the officers and men of the Mercantile Marine.”

London Gazette, issue 31354, 24 May 1919, pp. 6445–6446.