RootsChat.Com

Thanks PJB, I'm always looking out for more information on this family. She must have been Elizabeth Lapham, sister of Sarah Hanks.
It's interesting to see where the Memoirs are accurate and where misinformation has crept in. From my summary: "The reminiscences of John Montgomery say that his mother Mary Parke was born 'on her father's estate, Ephraim Park in Raheine [Raheen] Baltinglass.'  The memoirs are only partly right, as memoirs often are. 'Ephraim Park', where she is supposed to have been born, is not the name of her birthplace but of her brother who is named after his uncle Ephraim Boak."
Please send me you email address if you'd like to read what I've written up on the Parkes and Boakes.

I went into this extensively some years ago, and am still finding out more about this remarkable family. This is my summary of my findings about Mary Park's family: Mary’s father was Thomas Parke of Raheen, County Wicklow. He died in Baltinglass (no date given but probably soon after Mary’s birth in 1762) as a prosperous farmer with a large herd of cattle. He had stood surety for a colleague who ran off with taxes, and Thomas was held to account. As his cattle were being driven off he had a stroke and died before his wife came home to reassure him that Lord Aldborough and his brother Captain Stratford had told her not to worry about it. His wife lived until 98. Mary’s mother was Sarah Boake born in 1712. She married Thomas Parke who was originally of Barranstown in 1731. She was 50 when Mary was born, the last of a big family,  and after her father died Mary went to live with her older sister Margery who had married their uncle Ephraim Boake. (This of course was highly irregular, although they were of similar age and more like cousins, and Ephraim was ‘excommunicated’ from his Quaker community because of it). Margery and Ephraim Boake brought up Mary at Boakfield House. Mary’s mother features in John’s reminiscences as the grandmother dressed all in black who died at his family home aged 98.

Thanks Jim!

Hi, this is another old family photo with no name, but taken in Bristol. I'd like to get an approximate date period please, to help fit it into my family tree. Thanks, Mary

I have now scanned in all his old wartime photos of tanks and people that he served with (only a few names unfortunately) so if anyone wants to see the pics please let me know. He was in the South African No 1 Light Tank Co (M.T.) in 1941 and served in Mombasa from July 1940 until Aug 1941 with 3MT Coy 1LTC(MT) and in Suez from 1941 until August 1945. In 1942 it was known as Tank Squadron 8th Regt. When he was demobbed his unit was known as SAAC Corps Unit Ac ACTC (v). (Very confusing but this is what I got from his service record.)