Master-At-Arms James Bryan Parker
Crew member | Sailors13.10.1889
Biography
James Bryan Parker was born on a windy early Saturday morning, October 13, 1884, in Flamborough, a coastal town in Northern England. James was the second child born to the middle-class Parker family. His father, a man from Liverpool named William Parker, was a hardworking carpenter, while his Northern Irish mother, Sarah O'Neil, cared for the children at home. He had five siblings: Arthur, Gwendaline, Henry, Joseph, and Lillian. He was often called Jamie by those close to him.
As a child, Parker enjoyed spending his free time drawing, hoping to someday attend art school and become an artist. During his free time, he would draw pictures of passing ships. This made him yearn for something even bigger: a career at sea. However, his father had different plans and wanted him to take over the family carpentry business. In 1904, at the age of 15, he ran away from home after a very heated argument with his father. He began working for the Leland Line, serving aboard the Belgian on August 28, 1904, as an apprentice. In 1905, while aboard the Canadian, James watched a man fall overboard. With quick thinking, he grabbed a rope and jumped into the ocean, risking his life to bring the man to safety. He was congratulated for his heroism.
While serving as an apprentice on the Bohemian in 1905, he saw a woman in distress arguing with her husband. Thinking nothing of it, he continued his duties. The next morning, the woman was missing, and the ship was searched with no trace of her in sight. He immediately knew her husband was involved but could not prove it. After that night, James blamed himself, wondering what would have happened if he had stepped in; the woman in distress might still be alive. That was the moment he realized he could not let anything like that happen again. Instead of continuing his training to become an officer at the age of 22, he switched departments and was promoted to master at arms, hoping to maintain the safety and order of the passengers.
At age twenty-three, in 1912, James joined the Royal Navy, where he earned the rank of Petty Officer. That same year, thanks to his experience, he was able to join the White Star Line, where he maintained his rank as master at arms. He served on ships such as the Adriatic and was aboard the Olympic during the events of April 14th–15th, 1912. That same year, romance bloomed when he met a beautiful woman named Gabriella Cardinale while serving on the Olympic. The two fell madly in love and were married in 1913, moving into a modest house in Southampton. In 1914
In 1914, World War I broke out, and James served aboard the Olympic after it had been converted into a troopship; in 1915, Gabriella gave birth to their first and only child, a son named Thomas, who became their pride and joy. The same year, he was given a new assignment and transferred from the Olympic to her sister ship, the HMHS Britannic, after it had been converted into a hospital ship. In 1916, after having been her master-at-arms for about a year, James boarded the Britannic at the White Star pier as it set sail for Mudros on its sixth round trip to pick up wounded soldiers.
As a child, Parker enjoyed spending his free time drawing, hoping to someday attend art school and become an artist. During his free time, he would draw pictures of passing ships. This made him yearn for something even bigger: a career at sea. However, his father had different plans and wanted him to take over the family carpentry business. In 1904, at the age of 15, he ran away from home after a very heated argument with his father. He began working for the Leland Line, serving aboard the Belgian on August 28, 1904, as an apprentice. In 1905, while aboard the Canadian, James watched a man fall overboard. With quick thinking, he grabbed a rope and jumped into the ocean, risking his life to bring the man to safety. He was congratulated for his heroism.
While serving as an apprentice on the Bohemian in 1905, he saw a woman in distress arguing with her husband. Thinking nothing of it, he continued his duties. The next morning, the woman was missing, and the ship was searched with no trace of her in sight. He immediately knew her husband was involved but could not prove it. After that night, James blamed himself, wondering what would have happened if he had stepped in; the woman in distress might still be alive. That was the moment he realized he could not let anything like that happen again. Instead of continuing his training to become an officer at the age of 22, he switched departments and was promoted to master at arms, hoping to maintain the safety and order of the passengers.
At age twenty-three, in 1912, James joined the Royal Navy, where he earned the rank of Petty Officer. That same year, thanks to his experience, he was able to join the White Star Line, where he maintained his rank as master at arms. He served on ships such as the Adriatic and was aboard the Olympic during the events of April 14th–15th, 1912. That same year, romance bloomed when he met a beautiful woman named Gabriella Cardinale while serving on the Olympic. The two fell madly in love and were married in 1913, moving into a modest house in Southampton. In 1914
In 1914, World War I broke out, and James served aboard the Olympic after it had been converted into a troopship; in 1915, Gabriella gave birth to their first and only child, a son named Thomas, who became their pride and joy. The same year, he was given a new assignment and transferred from the Olympic to her sister ship, the HMHS Britannic, after it had been converted into a hospital ship. In 1916, after having been her master-at-arms for about a year, James boarded the Britannic at the White Star pier as it set sail for Mudros on its sixth round trip to pick up wounded soldiers.