Richard Parker

It is with sadness we advise the recent death of fellow SCARA member Richard Parker.  Our thanks to Derek Warmington, P&O Pensioners for the obituary and to Guy Cheeseman and John Crossman for the notification.

I bring the news that Richard Parker died on 28 March at the age of 88.  He had been in a care home for some considerable time.


After leaving school, Richard did his National Service with the Oxford and Bucks Light infantry and was stationed in Germany.  For part of his time there, he was a guard at Spandau Prison which housed all of the senior Nazi war criminals.


After leaving the army, he joined P&O in the Freight Department in the Leadenhall Street office in London.  While he was there, he applied to go to sea as an Assistant Purser and joined his first ship in 1957.  After sailing in ‘Canton’ ‘Chusan’ and ‘Iberia’, he was appointed to ‘Canberra’, joining in Belfast and sailing on the maiden voyage in June 1961.


During the years that followed he sailed in a number of different ships until leaving the sea in 1974 by which time he had become a Deputy Purser.  He then joined OCL in their Shore Personnel Department, later transferring to their Fleet Personnel Department.  He remained with what had become P&OCL until 1994 when he moved to the P&O Group Head Office in Pall Mall as Assistant to the Company Secretary.  He retired in 1997.


The funeral will take place at 1.00 pm on Monday 24 April in the Chapel of Wolvercote Cemetery, Banbury Road, Oxford, OX2 8EE.  Refreshments afterwards have still to be arranged, but if you plan to attend, please email scarasecretary@gmail.com.


Derek Warmington

Belinda McCormack

SCARA Membership Secretary

18/04/2023