Vincent Parker


Vincent 'Bushy' Parker was an Australian Royal Air Force flying ace, a prisoner of war and a serial escaper. He participated in the Second World War.
Parker emigrated to Australia as a child with his adoptive parents. After school, he worked for Kodak and trained as a magician and an escapologist, working with famed magician Leslie George Cole.
After travelling to Britain in 1938, he trained as a fighter pilot at an RAF flying school, and subsequently participated in the Battle of Britain. In August 1940, he was taken prisoner after landing in the English Channel.
As a prisoner of war, Parker dedicated himself to escape attempts, including escapes from Stalag Luft I and Stalag Luft III, as a result of which he was imprisoned in Colditz Castle.
Post liberation, in January 1946, Parker was killed in an aviation accident. Townsville City Council named Vincent Bushy Parker park in Rollingstone, Queensland Australia after him.

Early years

Parker was born in Co-operative Street, Chester-le-Street, on 11 February 1918, to Vincent and Lydia Wheatley. He was one of three sons.
Parker's mother died aged 26 and his father was unable to cope with his work alongside the responsibility of a young child. In 1920, his aunt Edith and her husband John Parker adopted Vincent Wheatley. Following the adoption, the Parkers changed Vincent's surname and in 1928 the Parkers emigrated to Australia. John found work on the railways and later, Edith found work as the station mistress at a train station in Purono, North Queensland.
Parker attended Bohlevale State School, where reports suggest Parker had an ability for acrobatics and athletics. On leaving school he moved to Townsville, and worked at Kodak on Flinders Street.
At Kodak, a friend recalled Parker somersaulting out of a window. His goal was to catch an invoice caught in the wind. The window had an eight-foot drop and his friend described the action as extraordinary. This stunt impressed a department store manager nearby, who offered Parker a job as a showman. His act at the store was confident, bordering on cocky. and later, a travelling magician caught his act and offered him a role as a travelling magician.
Months of performing over Australia took its toll. Tired, Parker moved to Sydney and in 1938, he obtained a billet as a steward on the cruise liner Ontranto.
Parker also met the magician Leslie George Cole. Performing and socialising with Cole, he learned to master various methods of escapology.
In 1938, he developed a desire to follow his brothers into the RAF, and cabled his parents in Australia to asked for their permission. On acceptance, he borrowed money from his parents to pay for flying school training.

RAF

He first trained at a civilian flying school. His training started in May 1939 and was due to take three months. His progression was rapid and he qualified in six weeks. On 22 July 1939, the RAF granted Parker a six-year service commission as a pilot officer on probation. He began his No. 11 Fighter Training School at RAF Shawbury in August 1939 and gained his pilot's badge on 25 October 1939.
On 10 April 1940, the RAF posted Parker to 234 Squadron, RAF Leconfield from 11 FTS.

Second World War

The RAF regarded the Spitfire as expensive and an important resource. In 1940, the RAF adopted a policy that they would accept no casual reason if a pilot damaged a plane, at the penalty of the pilot being transferred.
Two weeks after joining the squadron Parker damaged his plane. Foggy weather disrupted his given flight path on a practice run. Disoriented, he ran out of fuel. Parker landed in a farmer's field. On landing, he noted a flock of animals lined up. He adjusted his angles of approach and manoeuvered in an appropriate fashion. He decelerated and taxied on the field; his wheels hit a bump, which flipped his plane. Parker left the plane unscathed and the damage to the plane was slight.
Parker explained to his commanders that he took action to save the farmer's sheep. The RAF accepted his reasoning.
On 14 August 1940, the RAF stationed Parker and his squadron at Middle Wallop field. In this period, the RAF promoted him to pilot officer.

The Few

Parker fought in the Battle of Britain. Part of The Few, listed as a participant, he was a flying ace. Parker repelled at least five bombers in the battle.
On 15 August, a dogfight over Portland, occupied Parker and his squadron. The radar marked the air invasion as significant. The raid contained 70 Luftwaffe bombers, escorted by 150 fighters.
Parker shot down two Bf 110 bombers. At 16:15 the Luftwaffe incapacitated his Spitfire. Injuring his shoulder, gliding at 900 feet, he baled out near the Isle of Wight. After four hours at sea a German launch captured him, and transported him to Cherbourg. The Luftwaffe soon flew him to Dulag Luft, the temporary holding center for allied airmen.
Parker was one of four casualties his squadron suffered on this raid. ANZAC comrade, Pilot Officer Cecil Hight lost his life. Pilot Officer Richard Hardy ended up captured in France and joined Parker in Dulag Luft. Sergeant Klein 'Ziggy' Zygmunt, a Pole, survived, having crash landed in Twyford.

Character

Exculpable

Objects thrown out of windows were common in 1943 in Colditz. Corran Purdon described jeering, cheering, a burning palliasse, water bombs, morale unlike any other camp, and the riot squads, when he entered the Colditz courtyard for the first time.
On 22 June 1943 Eichstätt tunneller Jack Champ arrived at Oflag IV-C. Reinhold Eggers and his security staff processed Champ the following day. A protocol required a photograph of Champ with his prison number. In the Schloss, a guard had to chaperone a civilian worker, at all times. Inmates goon baited the protocol.
Three water bombs from the third and fourth floors hit the cobbled floor. Splashes soaked Champ, his comrades and the civilian cameraman. This angered the guard and cameraman, who rushed up the staircase, seeking to arrest those responsible on the third and fourth floors.
Following a 1942 order, water bombs and objects dropped out of the window carried the penalty of execution. Parker and Tunstall were exculpated and found innocent of throwing the water. After the water bombs were thrown, they met with ANZAC inmates, and took the brownie camera.
Eggers suspected theft, and ordered a systematic search for the camera, which was found safe, on a spare palliasse.
After this event, Champ introduced himself to Parker. Champ later described Parker as "the most enigmatic of the Australians to set foot in Colditz."
Pat Reid highlighted Parker as a major figure in the POW camp, stating: "Colditz would not have been quite what it was if Bush had not been there, and his activities throw a revealing sidelight upon the life of the prison".

Mechanical innovation

Parker was ingenious, brave and mechanically skilled. Notably, he was among four outstanding lockbreakers in Colditz, alongside the Frenchman Frédérick Guigues, the Pole Miki Surmanowicz, and the Dutchman van Doorninck. Parker cut keys from discarded fragments of metal, including coal shovels, bed iron and coat hooks.
Sapper Jim Rogers stated, "Our lockpick man for this work was 'Bush Parker'......In my view, Bush was one of the great men of Colditz". Pete Tunstall, recorded that "he knew for a fact he had illegal tools'.

Gestapo searches

The Dresden Gestapo turned up at unexpected times to conduct searches and compare photographs to confirm prisoners' identities.
In one instance, Parker stole papers, a weapon and a sandwich from the bag of a visiting Gestapo officer.
Prisoners thought the Dresden Gestapo were incompetent at searches as they were sadistic. The Wehrmacht had experience and competence though. Over time the Wehrmacht guards drilled the searches down to a science.
Composure
Donaldson recalled Parker's composure. His thinking under pressure was high level. A raid tested this understanding. They knew that day if the ferrets found the tools; they would face it. Parker, picked up the tools, wrapped in a towel. Holding onto the tools, Parker carried the can.
The guards stood them all against the wall. They placed them five feet apart. Parker assessed the environment, contorting enough to screen. Donaldson noted Parker's sleight of hand, saved the tools.

Anzac Day

and Cecil Hight, were ANZACs. Two mates from his squadron. Both gone in 1940.
He paid his respect. In 1944, the mess lads celebrated the Anzacs. They made calculations in March; they went without a meal for two nights per week. This ensured a basic menu for the invited dignitaries for that day.
Parker was the central player that night. Rex Harrison was an old mate. Explaining, Parker's batch of grog "tasted of cats piss..., it could burn a hole in steel plates... There would be fewer casualties if water broke it down."
Parker, doing well for himself on the black economy donated his grog for the event.

Card sharp

He was a card sharp. Few could beat Parker at cards, especially when he shuffled the pack. He had dexterity, and a detailed memory.
Royal flush, Bag and Rex
Parker, Dickinson, Harrison, Barton and O'Hara, had a weekly poker night. One night, Dick Howe joined in. Here, Howe, eyeballed the card sharping.... Howe explained that after fifteen minutes of play the game warmed up. At this epoch, Parker nudged Howe. Parker had decided to prank Bag and Rex...
Dickinson received a good poker hand. A hand that statistically occurs one in four-thousand times... Hence, Parker dealt the fours to Dickinson. Rex Harrison was dealt a hand with a good chance, a hand worth bluffing with. He had a full house. Dick Howe asked for two more cards. In turn, he received a knave, then a ten of hearts. O'Hara and Barton dropped out. The whole mess watched on. The stakes and bluffs grew out of proportion. The pot soon reached two thousand Lagermarken.
The tension grew. Dickinson stressed to Harrison 'he should pack it in......and stop the bluffing... as his hand is a power house...'. He ignored Dick Howe. Dick Howe sat by, with a poker face, not making a scene. Howe let Dickinson and Harrison inflate the prize. Under pressure, Harrison dropped out. This prompted Dickinson.
With immediate effect, Dickinson settled with Howe to show their hands. Dickinson assumed he had won the jackpot. Dickinson motioned to pick up his winnings. To Dickinson's disbelief though, Howe's hand was a one in six-hundred-thousand chance — a royal flush. The rare Royal Flush caused excitement in the mess quarters. Howe and Parker had internalised laughter. Dickinson and Harrison were devastated — and skint... Howe and Parker were solemn for the two lads. They commiserated them.
Later, Howe and Parker handed back the winnings.
This card sharping impressed Howe. He could not figure out this type of shuffling.