HM Government

Private Henry Parker, 5th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, has finally been laid to rest after he was killed in action during the Battle of the Somme on 26 September 1916, just 3 days short of his 23rd birthday. The burial, with full military honours, took place on Wednesday 17 May 2017 at the Warlencourt British Cemetery, near Arras, France.

The bearer party carrying the coffin of Private Parker in view of senior dignitaries (left to right: WO Andrew Morrison; Defence Attaché to France and Lt Col David O’Kelly), Crown Copyright, All rights reserved

The service, organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), part of Defence Business Services, was conducted by The Reverend Jonathan Wylie CF, Chaplain to the 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment.

Beverley Simon, JCCC said:

It has been an honour for the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre to organise today’s ceremony and to ensure this brave soldier has been buried with the dignity and respect he deserves. It has been a privilege to have met Private Parker’s family and to personally involve them with the planning of his burial.

The greater part of Private Parker’s service was holding the frontline with his Battalion in the Ypres Salient area. It was not until August 1916 that his Battalion was redeployed from Flanders, along with the other units of the 50th (Northumbrian) Division, to the Somme. Private Parker was killed during an incremental advance towards the ‘Flers’ enemy trench from the ‘Starfish’ line on 26 September 1916. Henry’s body was never recovered from the battlefield until remains were found in a farmer’s field almost a century later.

The recovered cap badge belonging to Private Parker, Crown Copyright, All rights reserved

Henry’s brothers James and Thomas Parker, who had both seen active service during the Great War, returned home safely.

Pat Burton, great-niece of Henry Parker said:

It is a great honour for us to be here today to pay our respects to a Great Uncle, Private Henry Parker. We are also here to represent Hazel Ranaldi, nee Croft, the daughter of Rosina Parker who was Henry’s sister.

We would like to thank the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre of the Ministry of Defence for inviting us to the burial ceremony here in Warlencourt, and feel very humble to be part of this occasion and extremely proud of our Great Uncle.

Margaret Parker, niece of Private Parker, who was unfortunately unable to accompany the other 20 family members to the ceremony, said:

Since the news that Uncle Henry has been found, I have had the honour and privilege to not only catch up with relatives I did know but also to meet others for the first time when I went to Richmond. We have been brought together through the brave actions of Uncle Henry, who, 100 years ago, gave his life for us and all that we hold dear.

I would like to thank all who have been involved, having given time and unstinting efforts to reunite Uncle Henry with us, his family, and bring us some closure. My thoughts are with you today, when I will be in Wansford Church thinking about Uncle Henry, our family and all those who have guided and supported us on this journey. God bless you all.

In 2014, the remains of Private Parker were discovered in a farmer’s field situated on the outskirts of Matinpuich, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France. The military insignia recovered with the remains was key to the eventual identification of this soldier.

Steve Erskine, the Assistant Curator at The Green Howards Museum, responsible for extensive historical research in determining Henry’s identity, along with volunteer Mike Crisp, said:

We are incredibly proud to have played our part in helping identify this member of the regimental family after so many years. What’s followed has been a fascinating journey into local and family history research, capturing the interest of a range of people along the way who all want to understand more about the world in which Henry lived and the circumstances in which he died. It has been an honour to meet them all and work together to give Henry the resting place he deserves.

Having received formal notification of remains being found, the JCCC undertook genealogy and historical research with The Green Howards Museum in an attempt to discover a potential identity. A shortlist of 12 possible names was identified and JCCC was able to trace surviving relatives of all 12 families and arrange DNA testing. In February 2017, the news came through that Francis Storry, a great-nephew of Private Parker, had been confirmed as a surviving relative and the identification of Henry Parker was confirmed.

The recovered artefacts belonging to Private Parker that led to his identification, Crown Copyright, All rights reserved

Soldiers from the Yorkshire Regiment provided the bearer party and fired a salute at the service.

Francis Storry, great-nephew of Henry Parker, lays a wreath, Crown Copyright, All rights reserved

Francis Storry, great-nephew of Henry Parker said:

When we got the letter from the MOD Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre, we were very surprised as we didn’t know anything about Henry Parker. It’s a great honour to be here today with 20 family members to pay our respects.

Lt Col David O’Kelly, Regimental Secretary of The Yorkshire Regiment said:

The Yorkshire Regiment is immensely proud to be able to lay to rest one of its brave soldiers, even 100 years on from the war in which he was tragically killed. He was an inspiration to his comrades then, and is still an inspiration to those who serve in the Regiment now. We will remember him.

A new headstone bearing Private Parker’s name has been provided by the CWGC, who will now care for his final resting place in perpetuity.

Private Parker’s newly engraved headstone, Crown Copyright, All rights reserved

Peter Francis, CWGC said:

Today’s service is a poignant reminder of the human cost of the Great War. Henry has been given the honoured burial he so richly deserves and it is a privilege that we can care for his grave, and those of his comrades, at this cemetery and thousands of others across the world in perpetuity. In doing so, we will ensure they are never forgotten.

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From 22 May 2017, the correspondence address for the Bona Vacantia Division will change.

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The Charity Commission, the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales, has opened a statutory inquiry into The Jack Raine Community Foundation, registered charity number 1106701. The inquiry was opened on 29 March 2017.

The charity has objects to promote community participation and recreation, in particular coaching in contact and non-contact martial arts, and education.

Concerns regarding the charity’s financial controls were raised with the Commission after it was alerted by North Yorkshire Police that a financial investigation was being conducted into the charity. As a result, the Commission made an unannounced visit to the charity’s premises in November 2016 to inspect the charity’s books and records. The Commission found insufficient financial records and no evidence of trustee meeting minutes to reflect any decisions taken by the trustee board.

The Commission has established further serious regulatory concerns which has escalated its engagement to an inquiry.

The inquiry will examine:

• whether the financial management of the charity is adequate, including whether appropriate financial controls are in place, and if funds were expended in furtherance of the charity’s objects
• the general administration, governance and management of the charity
• whether the trustees have complied with and fulfilled their duties and responsibilities as trustees under charity law

In order to protect the assets of the charity, the Commission has taken steps to freeze the charity’s bank accounts under section 76(3)(d) of the Charities Act 2011.

It is the Commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing what issues the inquiry looked at, what actions were undertaken as part of the inquiry and what the outcomes were. Reports of previous inquiries by the Commission are available on GOV.UK.

The charity’s details can be viewed on the Commission’s online charity search tool.

Ends

PR 39/17

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Notes to editors

1. The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales. To find out more about our work, see our annual report.
2. Search for charities on our online register.
3. Section 46 of the Charities Act 2011 gives the Commission the power to institute inquiries. The opening of an inquiry gives the Commission access to a range of investigative, protective and remedial legal powers.
4. The Commission’s decision to announce the opening of a statutory inquiry is based on whether it is in the public interest to do so and with consideration of our objective to increase public trust and confidence in charities.

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Introduction

The Government Chemist Team organised and delivered, on behalf of the Association of Public Analysts Educational Trust, the annual week-long course ‘Analysis and Examination of Foods’ at the University of Reading. The course is fully residential and ran between Monday 3rd and Friday 7th April 2017.

This course covers the analysis and examination of food by chemistry, molecular biology, microscopy, microbiology and mycology. It aims, in a two year cycle, to support the syllabus for the Mastership in Chemical Analysis (MChemA) which is the statutory qualification required to practice as a Public Analyst. Hence, as well as food, it addresses drinking water, feedingstuffs, fertilisers, and the underpinning legislation controlling this wide subject matter.

It is the only dedicated formal teaching available to MChemA candidates and is pitched at postgraduate level. It needs to fulfil the following aims:

• provide the novice an opportunity to get to grips with the subject matter of the syllabus

• enable the experienced analyst to discuss finer points of practice with experts

• provide a valuable opportunity for scientists to update their current experience and perhaps consider further study.

The course has been held for many years at the University of Reading. Daytime and evening lectures, interactive sessions and overnight accommodation were in the Cedars Conference Centre. Practical sessions on microscopy, microbiology and mycology were held in laboratories in the Food Biosciences Department.

Who attended the course

Thirteen delegates, all experienced scientists attended the course. While most were from UK Public Analyst Laboratories, there were also two scientists from Gibraltar and one from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China. All delegate feedback was overwhelmingly positive:

Very good lecturers, entertaining, relevant and informative

Always an eye-opener and thoroughly enjoyable

Improved my confidence with a microscope

Brilliant way of learning, very informative, enjoyable and well planned

Interesting for understanding the wider implications of our work

Summary of the course material

The ‘Analysis and Examination of Foods’ course offers a highly effective learning experience with a good mix of lectures, laboratory practical sessions and interactive exercises delivered by a wide range of experts, not usually available together elsewhere. The topics are up to date, covering safety (chemical and microbiological), authenticity, analysis and the law of food, water, feeding-stuffs and fertilisers.

The course has RSC ‘approved training’ status and is aligned with the MChemA syllabus. The session are delivered in the classroom and include practical training in microscopy and microbiology. There are also interactive exercises including ‘expert witness’ role play mentored by experienced court going scientists.

The course started with Dr David Owens on practical mycology – fungal classification and identification. Professor Anne-Marie Minihane presented a fascinating insight into nutrition: research, labelling and impact on our personal lives.

Public Analysts need to interpret and communicate their results, often to a court of law. Dr Duncan Campbell MChemA carefully taught delegates best practice in doing so, with regard to forensic probity, brevity and transparency.

Dionisis Theodosis of Eurofins taught a session on the regulation of pesticides residues in food, and analysis with much emphasis on modern techniques and interpretation of results. Jon Griffin MChemA and Kevin Wardle MChemA led the delegates through the law, analytical procedures and exercises in appraising commercial products and results of analysis.

Hazel Gowland, an experienced patient advocate and published researcher, led delegates through the impact of food allergies on patients’ lives and allergen risk management. Dr Walker outlined the immunological basis of allergy and the latest analytical methods for food allergen detection.

In the wake of the horse meat scandal and the Elliott Review, food authenticity, food fraud and food crime continue to have a high salience. Thus four sessions were devoted to these topics. Giles Chapman Strategic Intelligence Manager, National Food Crime Unit, NFCU, Food Standards Agency gave an insightful overview of the operation of the NFCU. Nigel Payne MChemA, Chair of the Authenticity Methods Working Group, covered the authenticity, contaminant and residues aspects of meat and fish. Dr Sophie Rollinson surveyed the history, current approaches and future challenges of the Defra Food Authenticity Programme and Dr Gavin Nixon delivered a thorough and systematic review of advanced DNA and Spectral Imaging techniques for food authenticity.

Gavin Nixon, GC team, delivering a session

A major part of this year’s course was microscopic identification of food components and contaminant material. A comprehensive theory session and practical training ensured delegates were comfortable using the microscope, made use of appropriate mounting media and recognised key structural features. The systematic examination of blind mixtures gave the more experienced a foretaste of the MChemA exam ‘Part C’ scenario questions. The practical sessions were led by Jane White MChemA with teaching from Sue Sherry in Plant Anatomy. This was enhanced by a lecture on consumer complaints from Alastair Low MChemA who presented numerous examples in an interactive session and also assisted as an instructor in the practical sessions.

Dr Alex Kersting and Rachael New MChemA talked delegates through the process of taking the MChemA exam and how to study for this exacting qualification and the Chief Examiner Jon Griffin MChemA was on hand to outline what the examiners are looking for in a good candidate.

Taking advantage of the expertise of the delegates themselves, a mini-symposium was held allowing delegates to learn from each other. Dr Angella Wing-Hoi Yuen described the work of the Hong Kong Government laboratory, Alison Aitken discussed Shiga toxin producing E.coli, Punil Sanatcumar outlined the analysis of PCBs and dioxins, Nikki Molloy gave insights into the preparation of material for proficiency testing schemes and Ratna Dewiyanti spoke entertainingly on the science behind home cooking. Natalie Hernandez and Xenia Duarte discussed medical microbiology and haematology in a busy hospital lab in Gibraltar, Chris Payne and Peter Bowdery described integrated public analyst and police forensic science services and David Finlay and Diane Bryning outlined protection of animal feed supply chain and sustainable entrepreneurial recycling respectively. This mini-symposium worked well to share knowledge and experiences and build professional relationships.

Acknowledgments

The APA Educational Trust is grateful to the Food Standards Agency and the Analytical Chemistry Trust Fund for financial support and to the Government Chemist team for organising and running the event. Grateful thanks are extended to the speakers and practical session demonstrators for the care and effort they put in to preparing and delivering their material, and to the technical and administrative staff of the University of Reading for their kind assistance in making the course run smoothly.

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