Eric Parker was born on June 16, 1896, in London, England. In 1914, he enlisted in the British Army and served in both England and France until 1917, when he successfully applied to join the British India Army. In India, Parker entered the 3rd Battalion, which was stationed along India’s northwest frontier, and which participated in the Waziristan Campaign. From 1921 to 1922, as Captain of the 90th Punjabis, Parker served as Officer Commanding the Trade Agent’s Escort at the British Trade Agency in Gyantse, Tibet. During his period in Gyantse, Lt. Col. Parker corresponded with British diplomat, Sir Charles Bell, and with various members of the Tibetan government, including the 13th Dalai Lama. In addition to carrying out his regular duties, Parker also conducted basic and advanced infantry training of Tibetan soldiers at the request of the Tibetan military.

On January 2, 1923, after resigning his commission, Parker travelled to Calcutta to marry Minnie Armstrong, who had traveled from England to join him. Together, they travelled back to Tibet on horseback in order to attempt to establish a trading station. The Parkers remained one year in Tibet, living in both Yutang and Ganze. During Parker’s years in Tibet and India, he learned to speak Tibetan, Urdu, Tamil, and Punjabi. He and his wife also collected numerous objects, letters, and photographs, which provide rare documentation of the period in Tibet’s history prior to the Chinese invasion in 1950.

In 1940, Parker was recalled to serve in the British India Army, eventually attaining the rank of Temporary Leiutenant Colonel. He remained in active service until 1947, when he resigned his post and moved with his family to Victoria. With the dissolution of the British India Army in 1947, Parker’s military rank was never formally removed.