Talk:Harold Parker (civil servant)

Latest comment: 3 months ago by WikiDan61
Large group of commentary added by Turjaaa

Update the article with the following info edit

Historical events edit

MEMO edit

In 1956, Sir Harold Parker wrote a memo about how the Central Government should organize its military during a worldwide war. The Chiefs of Staff reviewed this memo on May 1st, 1956. They generally agreed with the guidelines for the Service Ministries outlined in the memo. However, they wanted to make sure they made the right decision, so they asked the Joint Planning Staff to look into the specific tasks and responsibilities that the Chiefs of Staff would have at the Central Government Headquarters.

https://www.agda.ae/en/catalogue/tna/defe/6/35/n/322 https://www.agda.ae/en/catalogue/tna/defe/6/35/n/321 https://www.agda.ae/en/catalogue/tna/defe/4/80/n/224 https://www.agda.ae/en/catalogue/tna/defe/5/53/n/333

Sir Harold Parker requested a memorandum from George Catlin in July 1952, acknowledging the growing importance of developing the democratic case and propaganda due to the military stalemate in Korea and the increasing pressure on the Churches stemming from the ideological conflict and the defense of Christian civilization and ideals.

https://www.academia.edu/82226945/The_Anglican_Church_in_the_period_of_the_Cold_War_1945_55

Meetings edit

By January 1951, Montagu was actively engaged in pressuring the authorities to either grant him permission to publish or take legal action against Duff Cooper. Montagu had numerous meetings with Sir Harold Parker, who held the position of Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence.

https://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/928/1/WRAP_Aldrich_0672848-240609-aldrich.policing.final.ehr.nov03.pdf ASA (Amateur Swimming Association)

Sir Harold Parker was a prominent figure in the field of swimming. Notably, he served as the President of the ASA (Amateur Swimming Association)- -https://www.sussexswimming.org/Rules/ASA_HANDBOOK_2011.pdf

ASA Handbook with him listed as president

https://history.swimming.org/indexed/ASA_2000_Handbook_1.docx

—in 1958, a position of high prestige within the swimming community. Recognized for his significant contributions to the sport, Sir Harold's legacy endures through a seated portrait displayed in the esteemed National Portrait Gallery, a testament to his enduring impact on the swimming world. His passing in 1980 marked a loss for the swimming community, as he was celebrated for his achievements and dedication to the sport.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55eecaa1e4b02f474cce1132/t/5c37da824fa51a5558b0304e/1547164299349/Otter+History+150th+Anniversary+2019.pdf

Mentions in eprints CONTAINING THE GERMAN THREAT: THE BRITISH DEBATE OVER WEST GERMAN REARMAMENT 1949-55 SPEN C ER W ILLIAM MAW BY PhD . German Rearmament Reconsidered (Chapter 4, page 175)

http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/2231/1/U615178.pdf

BRITISH ANTICOMMUNIST POLICY AND THE TRANSFER OF POWER IN NIGERIA FROM THE LATE 1930s TO 1960 BY HAKEEM IBIKUNLE TIJANI.(7.4) ANGLO-NIGERIAN DEFENCE PACT :) Page 355.

https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/33974/1/11015718.pdf

Circumstances Short of Global War': British Defence, Colonial Internal Security, and Decolonisation in Kenya, 1945-65 by David Antony Percox, BA (Keele), MA (Lancaster). Chapter II British Counter-Insurgency in Kenya, 1952-56. Page 91

https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/10927/1/246491.pdf

The International Civil Service Advisory Board, established by the United Nations General Assembly, included Sir Harold Parker from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as one of its members. The board's report on the salary scales of internationally recruited staff was associated with Mr. Pascal Frochaux, Chairman of the Expert Committee on Post Adjustments. The report was provided to the Executive Board for their reference and consideration. OFFICIAL RECORDS OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION No. 112. Salaries and Allowances: Internationally Recruited Staff. (ANNEXES 10, page 44)


https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/85739/Official_record112_eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y https://search.archives.un.org/uploads/r/united-nations-archives/3/a/6/3a696e4757c50fe83ff93f261685c9ee719cbe05e1eb6bcacedf4bb4065156ae/S-0864-0002-01-00001.pdf


Un Documents with him listed

COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON THE REVIEW OF THE ACTIVITIES AND ORGANIZATION OF THE SECRETARIAT. STRUCTURE OF THE UNITED NATIONS, APPENDIX III, Page-720

https://cdn.un.org/unyearbook/yun/chapter_pdf/1960YUN/1960_APPENDICES.pdf

The Role of Amphibious Warfare in British Defence Policy, 1945 to 1964. Ian Andrew Speller Thesis submitted for the degree of Ph.D. King's College, London. 1996.( Pages73, 97)

https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/2925352/244039.pdf

UN Roster edit

Sir Harold Parker served as a member of the Committee of Experts on the Review of the Activities and Organization of the Secretariat in 1960. This committee was responsible for examining the activities and organisation of the United Nations Secretariat. Sir Harold Parker, representing the United Kingdom, collaborated with other experts from different countries to review and provide recommendations on the functioning of the Secretariat.

https://docplayer.net/102099133-Roster-of-the-united-nations-as-of-31-december-1960.html Resignation from UN Civil Service Advisory Board https://search.archives.un.org/uploads/r/united-nations-archives/a/f/9/af9e94247c685fef966fbc84809d4df119e69aadbb766c71aabd389e2a4ae4bd/S-0859-0005-06-00001.PDF

US document edit

The MPSB was established by the Defense Committee to address military production and supply. It coordinated with relevant military bodies, promoted standardization, and provided technical advice. Sir Harold Parker represented the United Kingdom on the board. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1951-pt3/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1951-pt3-3.pdf

Not sure about this link. French newspaper and a trip to USA https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/4196631

The article "Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Africa and South Asia, Volume XI, Part 1" describes the British delegation, led by Sir Harold Parker, attending the conference with hopes of achieving tangible results. Sir Harold expressed impatience with the Portuguese delegation's debates on sovereignty. Despite their technical expertise and persistence, little progress was made in alleviating Portuguese and Belgian concerns about their African territories. https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1952-54v11p1/pg_110


Secretary tours military camp (Printed News Cut) https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19560413-1.2.58 BRITISH EXPERT TO WORK ON AID TREATY (Printed News Cut) https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19560406-1.2.111

The impacts of the atomic bomb and the Cold War edit

In July 1949, a working party chaired by Sir Harold Parker was formed to address defense expenditure. Their goal was to keep the total defense burden below £810 million. Despite economic challenges and impending devaluation, efforts were made to retain weapon design and production capacity. The merger of the Ministry of Aircraft Production with the Ministry of Supply resulted in a combined department overseeing the needs of the RAF, army, engineering, and atomic energy.

https://epdf.tips/arms-economics-and-british-strategy-from-dreadnoughts-to-hydrogen-bombs-cambridg.html Donation He was a CRANLEIGH SCHOOL MEMORIAL FUND doner. http://cranleigh-ww1.daisy.websds.net/Filename.ashx?systemFileName=CSM1948_018_010.pdf&origFilename=CSM1948_018_010.pdf

Interview sound Recordings: https://mrc-catalogue.warwick.ac.uk/records/MSX/3570/15

Nato documents quoting him

(might be something important, but don’t know any context, he was mentioned 7 times in the document) Need help or suggestion.

https://archives.nato.int/uploads/r/null/3/5/35781/MPSB_50_A_1_ENG.pdf

Sir Harold Parker, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, accompanied Lord Alexander, the British Minister of Defense, during his visit to discuss administration plans to arm Arab League states. They arrived in Washington alongside Israeli military officials, but it is noted that their simultaneous presence was coincidental.

https://www.jta.org/archive/u-s-plans-to-arm-arab-countries-will-be-discussed-with-britain

Photos edit

Photo event During the annual conference in 1953 of the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Field-Marshal Sir John Harding, Sir Harold Parker was positioned in the 10th seat in the front row for the official photograph.

http://media.bufvc.ac.uk/newsonscreen2/BPN/44545/NoS_44545_other.pdf

Nation Picture al Gallery

https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp79775/sir-harold-parker

Field Marshal Earl Alexander with Sir Harold Parker https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/field-marshal-earl-alexander-the-minister-of-defense-with-news-photo/522789333?adppopup=true Resignation letter (No image is found) https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6539599

Sir Harold Parker's report on civilian agencies in Singapore that come under the aegis of the Commissioner General (No image is found)

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C11137866

Only for the reference section. British Commonwealth 1956

https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.85087/2015.85087.The-British-Commonwealth-1956_djvu.txt

Video featuring Sir Harold Parker visiting Shape

https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/74316/

Ref for the first paragraph in the Wiki article. edit

London Gazette with him https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/38628/supplement/2795/data.pdf Permanent secretary civil service http://www.gulabin.com/britishcivilservants/pdf/Senior%20Civil%20Servants.pdf

— Preceding unsigned comment added by Turjaaa (talkcontribs)

@Turjaaa: You've apparently done some extensive research on the subject. Unfortunately, it seems that most of what you've found is relatively trivial. As Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, Parker was doubtless the subject of many news articles and government documents. But they are not truly "historical events" unless they have had historical impact. Merely meeting with various people, or writing various memos, are not truly historic events. WikiDan61ChatMe!ReadMe!! 14:15, 13 February 2024 (UTC)Reply