Name Ned Parfett | Died October 29, 1918, France | |
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Born 21 July 1896 ( 1896-07-21 ) London, England, United Kingdom Occupation Construction worker, paperboy, soldier Known for Breaking news on the sinking of the RMS Titanic | ||
Edward John "Ned" Parfett (21 July, 1896 – 29 October, 1918) was a British soldier of World War I, who was also notable as the "Titanic paperboy", when a picture of him holding a large banner about the sinking of the RMS Titanic was taken in Central London, England.
Parfett was born in 1896, near the Waterloo Station, one of six children and the third of four brothers. His family had strong ties with Roman Catholicism and were of Irish ancestry, although they had lived in the England since mid-19th century.
Young Ned began to work in the construction of many buildings in the London area, but after he was injured, he began to work as a paperboy. While working as paperboy, he was famously illustrated in the streets of Central London holding an evening edition of the news which chronicled the sinking of the RMS Titanic, the day before.
World War I service
At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Ned was already 18 years old, however, he would not join the military until two years later, in 1916 when he enlisted in the Royal Field Artillery. He received recognition and military awards for a series of missions at the front.
On October 29, 1918, just two weeks before the end of World War I, he was killed during a German shelling on his positions.