• Victoria Cross
• Ghuznee Medal ( 1839 )
• Crimea Medal ( 1854-56 )
  • 3 clasps:
  • "Alma" - "Balaclava" - "Sebastopol"
• Turkish Crimea Medal ( 1855-56 )

The Parkes' VC and Ghuznee Medal was bought at auction by officers of the 4th Hussars and was presented to the Regiment on the anniversary of the Charge of the Light Brigade, Balaclava Day, on 25th October 1954, to mark the centenary of the Battle.

In the mid-1950s Parkes' two Crimea Medals were somehow reunited with the Victoria Cross and Ghuznee Medal completing the group which has now been acquired by the Lord Ashcroft VC Collection.

The merging of two Hussar Museums is underway comprising the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars Museum ( Eastbourne ) and the Queen's Own Hussars Museum ( Warwick ). The name of the newly merged Museum will be called the Queen's Royal Hussars Museum based in a newly acquired building in Warwick and the selling of the Samuel Parkes' Victoria Cross group will offset the cost of setting up the new museum.

For the award of the Victoria Cross

[ London Gazette, 24 February 1857 ], Balaclava, Crimea, 25 October 1854, Private Samuel Parkes, 4th Light Dragoons.

In the charge of the Light Cavalry Brigade at Balaklava, Trumpet-Major Crawford’s horse fell, and dismounted him, and he lost his sword; he was attacked by two Cossacks, when Private Samuel Parkes ( whose horse had been shot ) saved his life, by placing himself between them and the Trumpet-Major, and drove them away by his sword.

In attempting to follow the Light Cavalry Brigade in the retreat, they were attacked by six Russians, whom Parkes kept at bay, and retired slowly, fighting and defending the trumpet-Major for some time, until deprived of his sword by a shot.

Samuel Parkes was invested with his Victoria Cross by Queen Victoria in Hyde Park, London, on the 26th June 1857.

Samuel Parks died on the 15th November 1864 and was buried in an unmarked grave in Brompton Cemetery, London. A headstone was later erected over his grave in May 1999.