Hunter’s respite

This photograph shows my grandfather Byron William (B.W.) Parker in the shooting lodge he co-owned at Manitoba’s Delta Marsh, northwest of Winnipeg. The photo’s date is unknown, but family consensus suggests that it was taken sometime in the 1920s.

Born and educated in Montreal, he became an engineer for the Dominion Bridge company and was transferred to Winnipeg in 1916 with his young family. After serving as chief engineer for the company — and, during the First World War, both in the reserves and as an instructor — he served as president of two other companies until his retirement in 1948.

He was a member of several organizations, including service clubs and recreational clubs. In this photograph taken at the shooting lodge he co-owned with Isaac Pitblado and Price Rattray, he is seen with his feet on the stove — which means that it was probably cold — and ducks can be seen hanging from the side of the lodge.