Bryn St. Pierre Parry, (22 September 1956 – 12 April 2023) was a British cartoonist and co-founder of the charity

Help for Heroes Help for Heroes is a British charity which supports members of the British Armed Forces community with their physical and mental health, as well as their financial, social and welfare needs. The charity was founded in 2007 by Bryn and Emma Parry ...

. He founded Help for Heroes in 2007 with his wife Emma to help wounded military veterans access rehabilitative treatment. He was one of the best-known countryside cartoonists in the United Kingdom, whose work appeared in 12 books and numerous magazines.

Early life and education

Born in

Salisbury, Wiltshire Salisbury ( , ) is a cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in ...

, in 1956, Bryn was the son of Robin Parry, a career army officer, and Doreen (née Painter). His father served in Burma with the Ghurkas during the Second World War and was killed in Germany in 1961. Following his father's death, Parry lived on a farm in

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

with his mother, brother, and sister. From 1970 to 1974, he was a pupil at

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: New Zealand * Wellington College, Wellington, New Zealand * Wellington College of Education, now the Faculty of Education of Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand * Wellington Girls' College, Wellington, N ...

, receiving a scholarship due to his father's military service.

Career

Parry served in the

Royal Green Jackets The Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two "large regiments" within the Light Division (the other being The Light Infantry). History The Royal Green Jackets was formed on 1 January 1966 by the amalgam ...

, now known as

The Rifles The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions. Each Regular battalion was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the ...

, for ten years. In 1985, he left the army to become a full-time cartoonist. In 2016, Parry stepped down as chief executive of Help for Heroes, while remaining an ambassador for the charity.

Personal life and death

Bryn Parry died of pancreatic cancer on 12 April 2023, at the age of 66.

Honours

Bryn and Emma Parry were both appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the

2010 Birthday Honours The 2010 Birthday Honours for the Commonwealth realms were announced to celebrate the Queen's Birthday on 7 June 2010 in New Zealand, on 12 June 2010 in the United Kingdom, The Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Sai ...

. Bryn Parry was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the

2023 Special Honours As part of the British honours system, Special Honours are issued at the Monarch of the United Kingdom, Monarch's At His Majesty's pleasure, pleasure at any given time. The Special Honours refer to the awards made within royal prerogative, operati ...

, which was presented to him in a private investiture at home due to his terminal illness.

References

External links

Bryn Parry Studios
(official website) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Parry, Bryn 1956 births 2023 deaths British editorial cartoonists British caricaturists British illustrators British sculptors British charity and campaign group workers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People from Salisbury Deaths from pancreatic cancer in the United Kingdom Royal Green Jackets soldiers Military personnel from Salisbury 20th-century British Army personnel