Ernest Frederick Parker

Ernest Frederick Parker was born on 5 November 1883 in Perth. After attending Perth High School, he became an all-round sportsman, excelling in both tennis and cricket.  On 27 January 1906 he made his debut at the Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) Ground.

On 11 May 1917 Parker embarked on HMAT Ascanius for service overseas, and later served in the 102nd Howitzer Battery, 2nd Field Artillery Brigade. He was killed by a shell on 2 May 1918.

During the First World War, all interstate and international cricket visits were cancelled, and the WACA grounds were used for patriotic and charitable causes. In the Second World War cricket grounds were again used to help the war effort, including for recreational use by the Defence Forces and as a recruit training camp for the Australian Women’s Army Service.

In 1954 a new scoreboard was built at the WACA, dedicated to the cricketers from Western Australia who “gave their lives in the cause of freedom in the two world wars from 1914–18 and 1939–45”.