Dick Parsons (British Army officer)

Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Martyn Parsons (1 November 1910 – 7 June 1998) was a British Army marksman who played an important role developing and testing small arms and ammunition during the Second World War, and whose performance in post-war rifle competitions established him as one of the finest rifle marksmen in Britain.

His prowess as a marksman made him a candidate for additional training, and he was sent in 1938 to a Long Small Arms technical course at the Ministry College of Science, where he became one of the first infantry officers to be awarded a technical qualification.

It was in post-war rifle competitions where Parsons' marksman abilities became legendary.

Shooting in 1949 and 1950 for his regimental team in National Rifle Association (NRA) competitions at the National Shooting Centre in Bisley, Surrey, he won the King's Medal (the highest honour) both years in a row, which made him the champion shot in the British Isles.

Parsons retired from the Army with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and moved to Bath, Somerset, where he was active in his later years in the restoration of historic buildings in the city.