Thomas Heazle Parke, Surgeon, Military Officer and Author, Born

Birth in Clogher House, Kilmore, Co. Roscommon of Thomas Heazle Parke, surgeon, military officer and author.

Educated at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, he serves with the British Army in Egypt during Arabi`s 1882 revolt and on the 1884-1885 Nile

Thomas Heazle Parke (1857–1893) was an Irish explorer, soldier, and medical doctor who is particularly remembered for his contributions to African exploration.

He played a significant role in the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition, an expedition to East-Central Africa in the late 19th century.

Early Life and Education

Thomas Heazle Parke was born on May 27, 1857, in County Longford, Ireland. He studied medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and graduated in 1878.

Military Career

Parke had a military career and served in the Royal Army Medical Corps. He participated in several military campaigns, including the Gordon Relief Expedition in Sudan in 1884-1885.

Emin Pasha Relief Expedition

Parke is most notably associated with the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition (1886–1889). This expedition, led by Sir Henry Morton Stanley, aimed to relieve Emin Pasha (Eduard Schnitzer), a German physician and governor in Equatoria (now part of South Sudan), who was reportedly in distress. Parke served as the medical officer and naturalist on this expedition.

Exploration in Africa

Parke contributed significantly to mapping and understanding the geography of Central Africa during the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition. He also made observations on the natural history and the local populations.

Later Career and Death

After the expedition, Parke continued his military and medical career. Unfortunately, he died relatively young at the age of 36 on January 15, 1893, in Dublin, Ireland.

Thomas Heazle Parke’s contributions to African exploration and his role in the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition are remembered in the annals of exploration history.