Roll of Honor
Incident
On 28th November 1868, while on duty at Friargate, PC Parker successfully captured a rabid dog that had already bitten a young boy and four adults, but in doing so he was bitten several times on the hand, quite severely on the thumb, leading to a few days on sick leave.
He seemingly remained well for nine months but, after finishing his duty at Preston cricket ground at 5:00pm on Saturday 28th August 1869, John returned home and, at 8:00pm, sent a note to the police station saying that he was unwell and would not be able to resume his duty at 9:00pm.
The following morning he was attended by a doctor and later taken to the local infirmary where, between 5:00pm and 7:00pm, his symptoms worsened significantly as he suffered painful spasms. He died just before 9:00pm that same day.
PC Parker joined the force on 26th May 1868 having previously served eleven years with the West Riding of Yorkshire Constabulary.
He left six young children, aged from three to thirteen years. His wife had died five months earlier, in March 1869, with her death being attributed to her anxiety over her husband’s wellbeing.
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- April 8, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
157 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Police Constable Parker served with the Preston Borough Police.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Constable John Parker is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In ENG, 719 of 2,827 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 25.4% of this state's fallen. That is 16.3 percentage points above the national rate of 9.1%.
At Preston Borough Police, 2 of 5 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 40% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Parker's cause is highlighted.
How John Parker Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. John Parker is highlighted in Aug.
Others Who Wore This Badge
4 officers from Preston Borough Police are honored on badge.nw.
