Graham Beresford Parkinson

Parkinson was born on 5 November 1896 in the Wellington suburb of Mount Cook. His parents were Henry Parkinson, a school teacher, and Ethel Constance Young. 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, Duntroon, in Australia, which set aside a limited number of enrolments 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, Parkinson was posted to Trentham Military Camp where he was an instructor. Nearly a year later, in June 1917, he joined 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. due in part to his service during the battle. for his leadership during this time. 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. ==Notes==