It's believed that Alexander “Alec” Parnell carried this 1914 photo of his family with him throughout his service in the Great War. From left, it shows his children Jean, 2, John, 8, wife Harriet, (Neé Creswick) and infant daughter Annie. (Sandra Adams.)
Alex and Harriet Parnell aboard a ship docked at Montreal circa 1927. Parnell, a competitive rifle shooter, was departing for a shooting competition at Bisley, England. (Sandra Adams.)
The Parnell family poses for a photo circa 1936. From left: Jack, Jean, Harriet, Alec and Annie Parnell. (Sandra Adams.)
Alexander Parnell poses with his rifle in 1956. He has just earned, at age 75, a place on the Canadian rifle shooting team, setting a record for oldest team member that has yet to be broken. (Sandra Adams.)
Letter addressed to Harriet Parnell, Alexander's wife, Tuesday Feb 16th from Alexander Parnell discussing his safe arrival in France. (Sandra Adams.)

Alexander Parnell

A crack shot, Parnell was active in the militia prior to the war, and mobilized for service with the 3rd Regiment Victoria Rifles on August 12, 1914.

Alexander (Alec) Parnell was born in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland in 1881. He apprenticed as a cabinetmaker there and emigrated to Montreal in 1904 upon completion of his apprenticeship. He boarded with a Creswick family who had arrived from England a few months earlier, and in 1905 he married the eldest Creswick daughter.

A crack shot, Parnell was active in the militia prior to the war, and mobilized for service with the 3rd Regiment Victoria Rifles on August 12, 1914. Named an Armoury Corporal, he rose to the rank of sergeant with the Royal Montreal Regiment. Honourably discharged in 1916, he went on to compete for the Canadian Rifle Team in international shooting competitions. Parnell worked for the CNR as a cabinet maker. He died in Montreal in 1967. In 2000, he was named a member of the Dominion of Canada Rifle Association Hall of Fame. His wife, Harriet, a homemaker, died in 1981.

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Army (327), soldier (298), volunteered (285), survived (227), family (124), Quebec (60)
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