Leo Francis Parkes was born in Liverpool, England on 25 August 1888 1 and baptised in St Joseph’s Church on 2 September. He was the son of John Parkes, a “store dresser,” and Bridget Hand.
Hailing from a Roman Catholic family of Irish descent, Leo had four known siblings and by 1901 the family lived at 87 Mary Lane, Liverpool.
Leo was married in 1906 to May Catherine Gorman (b. circa 1880) and they went on to have six children; by 1912 they lived at Thistlewood Road.
When Leo first went to sea is not certain; by April 1912 he was serving as third baker aboard the eastward-bound voyage of the Carpathia when that ship rescued the survivors of the Titanic.
Following the Titanic disaster Leo went on to serve aboard the Franconia for a number of voyages, serving throughout WWI and during peacetime among a host of different ships, including Caronia, Scythia and Saxonia.
Leo Parkes died aged 40 in Liverpool in September 1928 and was buried in Ford Cemetery (R 1080).
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