Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command of The Royal Canadian Legion www.ns.legion.ca 219 John William “Jack” Tate was born on Aug. 29, 1880, at Melrose, Guysborough County, a tiny settlement 17 kilometres from Sherbrooke. The eldest of Daniel and Annie (Sullivan) Tate’s 10 children, Jack set out to “see the world” while still in his teens. Jack spent several years in the United States, serving on a U.S. navy submarine for six months and with the U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps for two years. He eventually made his way back to Canada, working as a teamster in Alberta. On Aug. 10, 1914, officials authorized the formation of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, with members to be recruited in the country’s six largest cities — Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton. When war erupted in Europe, Jack, now in Edmonton, saw another opportunity for adventure, enlisting with Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry within days of its formation. To ensure rapid deployment and limit training requirements, recruiters focused on attracting former British Army and Boer War veterans. Enlistments surpassed 3,000 by Aug. 19, the initial recruits converging on Ottawa from across the country within days of volunteering. Jack Tate was among a large group that travelled from Edmonton to the nation’s capital, where military officials reduced the number to 1,098 “other ranks” (OR), 1,049 of whom had served with British Imperial forces. While Jack had no such credentials, his American experience no doubt helped his case, and the scars on the back of his head and neck suggested a rugged past. Jack also misreported his birth year as 1885 to enhance his chances. In the end, he passed muster, formally attesting for overseas service at Ottawa on Aug. 24, 1914. Four days later, Jack and his chums travelled by train to Montreal and boarded SS Megantic for the journey to England. Fears of a German U-boat attack in the North Atlantic forced the vessel to dock at Levis, QC, where its passengers disembarked and resumed training. The battalion finally boarded SS Royal George at Quebec City on Sept. 27 and departed for England. Upon arriving overseas one week later, personnel made their way to camp on Salisbury Plain, southwest of London, and resumed preparations for combat. By month’s end, the unit was assigned to the 27th British Division’s 80th Brigade. The unit crossed the English Channel to Le Havre, France, on the night of Dec. 20-21. Jack and his companions disembarked after midday, becoming the first Canadian combat unit to set foot in France and the only one deployed in the combat zone in 1914. After spending Christmas Day at Blaringhem, France, the battalion made its way to Ypres, Belgium, its officers visiting the trenches near Kemmel before year’s end. The battalion marched to nearby Dickebusch on Jan. 5, 1915, entering the trenches for its first tour the following day. Jack and his chums were immediately introduced to the realities of wintertime service in the Ypres Salient, occupying 1,150 yards of trench “in waterlogged condition (with) few dugouts.” The brigade’s commander reported: “All men are over their ankles in water — some up to their knees.” The unit served on rotation in the line through the winter of 1915. Its Jan. 31 war diary entry summarized the first month’s casualties: three officers killed and two wounded; 20 OR killed and 30 wounded. Jack was evacuated to Rouen, France, for treatment of myalgia on Jan. 27. Discharged to convalescent camp 10 days later, he rejoined the unit on Feb. 15. Two days after his return, Jack followed his chums into the line near St. Eloi, Belgium, spending two days in the front trenches before retiring to support positions. The battalion returned to the front line on Feb. 27 amid “very cold, boisterous weather and wind.” Later that day, the unit received orders to attack a German sap a mere 14 metres from its line, its first offensive action of the war. The raiding party crossed no man’s land at 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 28, entering and destroying the sap and 30 yards of parapet along the German front line. The unit’s war diary reported five OR killed, two officers and seven OR wounded, one officer and two OR missing as the raiding party returned to the unit’s trenches before daybreak. Several wounded lay in no man’s land, unable to make their way back. When officers requested volunteers to retrieve their wounded comrades, Jack was one of 10 soldiers who climbed over the parapet as night was lifting. A German sniper spotted the rescue party as it crept into no man’s land. Jack was struck and killed in the gunfire, his comrades later retrieving his remains. Pte. Jack Tate was laid to rest in Voormezeele Cemetery, Belgium, on March 13, 1915, the first of almost 3,400 Nova Scotian fatalities on the Western Front during the First World War. A Featured Veteran Story JOHN W. “JACK” TATE
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