Sparkes, Winifred, 1917-1983

Identity area

Type of entity

Person

Authorized form of name

Sparkes, Winifred, 1917-1983

Parallel form(s) of name

Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules

Other form(s) of name

  • Hanger, Winifred, 1917-1983

Identifiers for corporate bodies

Description area

Dates of existence

1917-1983

History

Winifred was born on 17 May 1917 to Thomas Hanger and Myfanwy Granville-Jones. She was one of five children and a younger sister to Eunice Hanger. Winifred enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts course with the University of Queensland in 1934, residing in the Women's College. During her time at UQ she was a member of the Dramatic Society, the Debating Society, the Students' Union Council, and played hockey for the University. She went on to obtain her Diploma of Education from the Teachers' Training College after which she returned to Gympie to teach. In the late 1930s, Winifred Hanger was engaged to Chester James Parker. At the outbreak of World War Two, Parker joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and he and Winifred exchanged letters and telegrams. Parker was a student from the University of Queensland and a Rhodes Scholar. He was serving as a Lieutenant on HMS Thorn, a submarine of the Royal Navy, on 6 August 1942 when she encountered Italian torpedo boat Pegaso. HMS Thorn failed to return from patrol and was presumed sunk by Pegaso. In 1950, Winifred married John Sparkes. They did not have any children. She died on 14 February 1983.

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Internal structures/genealogy

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Control area

Authority record identifier

AU QU

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Status

Revised

Level of detail

Minimal

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

Revised, Kymberley Doyle, 06-Mar-2025.
Revised, Linda Justo, 26-Nov-2024.

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Script(s)

Sources

Brilliant PW (2018) Dearest Winifred : letters from Chester James Parker to Winifred Hanger from 1936 to August 1942, 1st edn, Boolarong Press, Moorooka, Qld.

Maintenance notes

Revised with access point, Kymberley Doyle, 06-Mar-2025.

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