The 4th of 7 children, Herbert was born at Stroud in 1897 to William Parish and Elizabeth (nee Marquet). William died in 1902 at Ryde, N.S.W. and Elizabeth went on to marry Philip Maurer in Dungog in 1903.
Raised in January 1916, the 33rd Batallion was part of the expansion of the AIF that took place after the Gallipoli Campaign. The majority of the battalion’s personnel came from the New England region of NSW. After undertaking initial training at Armidale the Battalion moved to Maitland. Coming from Berrico Creek via Gloucester, Herbert was working as a Grocer when he passed his medical on the 25th of September and enlisted into the 33rd Batallion on the 9th of October 1916 at Rutherford (near Maitland), NSW.
The 33rd left already Maitland on the 3rd of May 1916 aboard the HMAT Marathon. Herbert joined the 8th Reinforcements at Rutherford, and embarked Sydney on the 11th of November 1916 aboard the HMAT A29 Suevic. Herbert was promoted to Corporal while at sea on the 24th of January for the duration of the voyage. He disembarked at Devonport on the 30th of January 1917. The 8th Reinforcements embarked from Folkestone on the 2nd of May 1917 to arrive at Estaples the next day. On the 20th of May, Herbert was taken on strength with the 54th Infantry Battalion just after the 2nd Battle of Bulecourt (3-17th of May).
Passchendaele lies on the last ridge east of the Belgian city of Ypres. The 3rd Battle of Ypres, also known as the Battle of Passchendaele, which ran from the 31st of July to the 11th of November 1917. Part of this offensive was the Battle of Polygon Wood on the 26th of September. It was a major battle for the 54th Batallion, where Herbert aged just 20 years was killed in action.
A letter by Elizabeth on the 2nd of September 1922 requesting a picture of the grave. On the 30th of September, a letter was dispatched to reluctantly inform his mother that war graves had not succeeded in locating his resting place. Service documents dated 22nd of September 1922 however, placed the body with a ground sheet marked W.J.B. and a mess tin marked H.H. Par Further investigation revealed that W.J.B. 12/24 did not relate to a deceased soldier and was assumed to have returned to Australia. A letter dated the 19th of March 1923 to his mother reported the unidentified body which had been exhumed was with a mess tin inscribed H.H. Parish which gave no doubt as to the owner.
