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Squadron, Downham Market, Norfolk. From this Unit as pilot of a Stirling bomber he took part in 21 operational flights, the targets being Frankfurt, Mannheim, Kattegat, Cologne (2) Wilhelmshaven, Nuremburg and Munich in Germany, Vichy, Limoges, Lorient (4) and St. Nazaire in France, Genoa and Turin in Italy, minelaying operations near Bordeaux (4) and the Frisian Islands. While a member of No. 218 Squadron, Pilot Officer Parkinson was attached from the 15th December 1942 to the 9th January 1943 for a Captain's of Aircraft course at Cranage, Cheshire.

On the night of 11th/12th March, 1943 Pilot Officer Parkinson was the Captain of a Stirling bomber aircraft which took off on air operations, the target being Stuttgart in Germany. The aircraft failed to return to its base and all members of the crew including Pilot Officer Parkinson were classified as missing. Information was received from the International Red Cross through a German official source that Pilot Officer Parkinson had lost his life on the 12th March 1943 and was consequently reclassified to missing believed killed in action. In due course his death was officially presumed to have occurred on the 12th March 1943.

A post war casualty search revealed that he was buried in the Dieppe Canadian Cemetery, Hautot-Sur-Mer, in France. The only other New Zealander belonging to the crew was Flight Sergeant C.J. Campbell of Cromwell.

Find a Grave link with a photo of Pilot Officer Parkinson: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56045019/gerald_andrew-parkinson

5/2/4549 AS2
571 Hours as Pilot.

Mr. C.S. Parkinson (F) (right aligned)
Watatutu (right aligned)
GISBORNE. (right aligned & underlined)