John Christopher “Jack” Jamieson was born in Halfway Cove, Guysborough County, on May 26, 1900, the son of John Patrick and Margaret Ellen “Maggie” (Murphy) Jamieson. John Patrick was the son of John and Janet Eliza (Delaney) Jamieson, while Maggie was the daughter of Christopher and Elizabeth (George) Murphy. Both of Jack’s parents were Halfway Cove natives.
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| Private John Christopher "Jack" Jamieson (193rd Battalion Photo) |
According to a brief entry in his Second World War service file, Jack completed Grade IV before leaving public school in 1910. For several years prior to the First World War, he “worked in [the] woods.” In the spring of 1916, military recruiters made their first visit to Guysborough town, seeking enlistments for the 193rd Battalion. On March 1, 1916, Jack commenced training with a local detachment and formally enlisted with the unit at Guysborough on April 1, 1916. His military attestation lists his birth year as 1898, despite the fact that he was almost two months shy of his sixteenth birthday at the time.
Jack trained with the 193rd at Camp Aldershot throughout the summer of 1916. Briefly admitted to Rockhead Military Hospital, Halifax, on October 5 with a skin condition, he was discharged one week later, just in time to board SS Olympic with his comrades for the voyage overseas. The vessel arrived in the United Kingdom (UK) on October 18 and the 193rd’s personnel travelled by train to Camp Bramshott, England.
Significant casualties during the Canadian Expeditionary Forces’ September and October 1916 service at the Somme created a significant shortage of infantry reinforcements. In response, military authorities dissolved several units that had recently arrived in the UK and re-assigned their personnel to battalions in France.
The 193rd was among the battalions selected for dissolution. As one of its younger recruits—on paper, he was 18 years old at that time—Jack was transferred to the 185th Battalion (Cape Breton Highlanders) on December 29, 1916. By coincidence, that same day he was diagnosed with pleurisy and “the mumps.” Admitted to an isolation unit at Camp Aldershot on January 3, 1917, Jack spent one month in hospital before returning to duty. On May 27, 1917—the day after his supposed nineteenth birthday—he proceeded to France for service with the 25th Battalion (Nova Scotia Rifles). Jack was actually 17 years old at the time.
The first of several volunteer infantry units recruited in Nova Scotia during the war, the 25th Battalion was authorized on November 7, 1914, and mustered its ranks in Halifax the following spring. Its initial personnel left Nova Scotia aboard HMTS Saxonia on May 20, 1915. Upon arriving overseas, the unit was assigned to the 2nd Canadian Division’s 5th Brigade, where it served alongside the 22nd Battalion (Quebec’s famous “Van Doos”) and the 26th Battalion (New Brunswick).
The 25th crossed the English Channel to France in mid-September 1915 and served in Belgium’s Ypres Salient for almost one year before relocating to France in late summer 1916. On September 15, 1916, its soldiers participated in a successful attack on the village of Courcelette, France, the unit’s first Battle of the Somme assignment. Following the end of fighting in mid-November, the 25th spent the winter of 1916-17 in sectors near Lens, France. On April 9, 1917, its personnel participated in the Canadian Corps’ capture of Vimy Ridge and saw action in the Second Battle of the Scarpe later that month.
The 25th was in the midst of a period of rest and training at Gouy-Servins, France, when 17-year-old Private John Christopher Jamieson joined its ranks on June 16, 1917. Two months later, Jack was in the line with the 25th when the unit played a key role in the Battle of Hill 70, near Lens, France. On August 15, 1917, its personnel participated in an infantry advance near Cité St-Laurent, withstanding a ferocious German counter-attack after reaching their objectives. The 25th suffered three Officer and 50 “other rank” (OR) casualties during the fighting.
In late October 1917, the 25th relocated to Passchendaele, Belgium, where its soldiers took part in the final assault on the Belgian town, carried out from November 5 to 8, 1917. Initially, it appeared that Jack came through both major battles without injury, On January 8, 1918, however, he was admitted to No. 7 Canadian Stationary Hospital for treatment of “ICT [inflammation of connective tissue] Legs.”
While an entry on a Medical Case Sheet in Jack’s service file states that his “back and leg [had been] burned by mustard gas at Lens,” the 25th’s war diary makes no mention of gas exposure during the August 1917 battle. It does, however, describe personnel encountering gas shells at Passchendaele on November 5, 1917, and in the front trenches near Méricourt, France, later that same month.
On January 9, 1918, Jack was transferred to No. 7 Canadian General Hospital, Étaples. France. The following day, he was invalided to England and admitted to the Chester War Hospital, Chester. A Medical Case Sheet completed at the time of his admission stated that Jack was experiencing “pain in calves and legs and lumbar muscles,” the after-effects of mustard gas burns.
Jack’s admission to hospital in England also appears to have triggered an investigation into his actual age. A note at the top of a “”Casualty Form,” dated January 24, 1918, states that his “correct date of birth” as recorded on a baptismal certificate was May 26, 1900, and that he was “not to be sent Overseas [i.e., back to France or Belgium] until 19 years of age.”
Several other documents in Jack’s First World War service file provide details on the nature of his wounds. His “cellular tissue” had been “inflamed through gas,” but the “condition [was] healing” within days of hospitalization. By mid-January, his situation was “much improved…. Blisters on hips and buttocks healed and in good condition.” While Jack continued to experience pain in his legs, massages brought considerable relief.
On April 3, 1918, Jack was transferred to Military Convalescent Hospital, Woodcote Park, Epsom, where he remained for one month. Discharged from medical care on May 3, he was posted to No. 2 Canadian Corps Depot (CCD) and awarded two weeks’ sick leave. During that time, he experienced a “sudden onset of pain and contraction of leg muscles.” He immediately reported to the “surgeon at Infirmary Chester” and was re-admitted to Chester War Hospital for treatment of myalgia in mid-May.
On June 5, Jack was transferred to the Canadian Red Cross Special Hospital, Buxton. Medical records during his time there indicate that he was experiencing a “dull aching pain in [his] back, hips, thighs and legs.” Jack spent almost two months in Buxton before returning to No. 2 CCD in late July. A note written at that time described his “general condition [as] good. Slight limbo-sacral rigidity and tenderness, scars of gas burns over buttocks and back of legs.”
As Jack was no longer fit for front-line duty, he was temporarily posted to the Nova Scotia Regimental Depot on September 13, 1918. Two days later. he was assigned to the Canadian Forestry Corps (CFC) Headquarters at Sunningdale. Before month’s end, Jack joined the ranks of 105th Company, CFC, which harvested and processed timber near Wool, Dorset, England.
Jack spent the next two months with the 105th Company. All timber harvesting ceased after the November 11, 1918, Armistice and CFC units quickly processed the remaining logs before winding down operations. Jack returned to Base Depot, CEF, on December 5, 1918. An assessment at that time stated that he could “walk five miles and is fit for manual labour,” but also indicated that he was “at present not fit for hard work due to myalgic pains.”
In mid-December, Jack was transferred to the Canadian Discharge Depot, Rhyl, Wales, where he awaited orders to return to Canada. On January 18, 1919, he left the UK aboard HMT Aquitania and arrived in Halifax one week later. On February 17, 1919, Jack was officially discharged as “medically unfit” and returned home to Guysborough County.
Jack’s exact whereabouts at the time of the 1921 Canadian census are unknown. The only child living in the family home with John Patrick and Ellen was his younger brother William “Bill,” age 16. Later developments suggest that he may have headed to Gloucester, Massachusetts. Whatever his immediate post-military circumstances, on June 8, 1922, Jack married Harriet Viola “Hattie” Carter, daughter of George C. and Ellen (Keay) Carter, Oyster Ponds. Their first and only child, Alonzo George, was born in Oyster Ponds on April 15, 1923.
Three months after Alonzo’s birth, Hattie and her infant son left Yarmouth, NS, aboard a vessel bound for Boston, Massachusetts. Their final destination was Gloucester, where Jack was residing at that time. Hattie’s parents, George and Ellen, and her 31-year-old brother Wilbert also relocated to Gloucester that same year.
Several years after Hattie and Alonzo arrived in the United States, Jack returned to Nova Scotia. His wife and young son, however, remained in Massachusetts. At the time of the 1930 United States census, Alonzo was residing in Gloucester with his grandparents, George and Ellen Carter. The Canadian census conducted the following year indicates that Jack was living in Guysborough with his parents while employed as a “surveyor” in “steam railroad construction,” i.e, the Guysborough Railway. Jack’s younger brother Bill also worked as a labourer on the ill-fated project.
Some time after returning to Guysborough, Jack established a common-law relationship with Sarah Gertrude “Sadie” Dickie, daughter of James and Dolena (Ross) Dickie, Cook’s Cove. Sadie subsequently gave birth to two sons—John James (DOB February 6, 1936) and George Clair (DOB October 25, 1939). By the early 1940s, the family appears to have relocated to Pictou, where Jack was employed as a “frame setter” in the Maritime Foundation Shipyard, Pictou, for almost two and a half years prior to enlisting with the Veterans Guard of Canada.
In the midst of the feverish war activity that swept the country from 1939 to 1945, many First World War veterans were eager to serve their country. Although too old for active combat, those deemed “fit” were considered capable of service in Canada in some capacity. While his enlistment occurred during the conflict’s late stages, Jack was one of thousands of former soldiers impacted by the patriotic fervour of the war years. On January 5, 1945, he enlisted with the Veterans Guard of Canada at Halifax, NS.
On May 23, 1940, the Canadian government announced the formation of the “Veterans Home Guard” (VHG), modelled on the British Home Guard that was already operating in the United Kingdom. The objective was to utilize the country’s First World War veterans to guard military properties across the country, allowing younger men to serve overseas. In particular, veterans could relieve members of the Canadian Provost Corps—the Canadian Army’s military police—from guard duty at internment and prisoner of war camps established across the country during the war’s early months.
The age limit for service was initially set at 50, but later expanded to 55 years of age. Candidates were expected to meet the army’s basic physical standards and served under the same obligations as active combat enlistments. The Department of National Defence initially approved the formation of 12 Companies, each consisting of 250 men. Men were required to wear battle dress and carry weapons while on duty.
While approximately 25,000 First World War veterans volunteered before the end of the year, many were rejected based on age or medical requirements. In September 1940, the force’s name was changed to Veterans Guard of Canada (VGC). By the following spring, the VGC consisted of approximately 6,500 men divided into 29 Companies, while another 4,000 men were part-time volunteers in reserve Companies across the country.
The VGC also protected critical infrastructure and wartime industries. The aluminum smelting operation at Arvida, QC, was one such location. After Japan entered the war in December 1941, VGC Companies assisted with coastal defence and guarded RCAF bases in British Columbia. Its personnel also protected airfields in Newfoundland and several select Companies guarded Canadian Military Headquarters in London, England, conducted garrison duty in the Bahamas, and protected bauxite-laden ships in British Guiana.
Perhaps the Guard’s most important role was the supervision of 26 internment and prisoner of war camps, a responsibility it assumed in May 1941. Over the course of the war, approximately 34,000 German POWs were interred in Canada. VGC personnel operated the guard towers, carried out inspections and supervised daily activities at the camps, many of which were located in remote areas.
At its peak in June 1943, the VGC consisted of 451 officers and 9,806 other ranks. A total of more than 15,000 First World War veterans served with its 37 regular and three special-duty Companies during the war. A May 1945 assessment estimated that the Guard had “directly or indirectly” ensured the provision of the equivalent of a full infantry division for overseas service.
Following his January 5, 1945, enlistment, Jack was “taken on strength” by No. 6 District Depot, Halifax, “for V. G. of Canada.” On January 24, he was assigned to No. 33 Company, VGC, which was stationed in Port Arthur, ON, at that time. The Company had carried out guard duties in the Bahamas from June 1942 to September 1943, at which time it was relieved by a special detachment of Pictou Highlanders soldiers.
The details of No. 33 Company’s duties in the Port Arthur (Thunder Bay) area are unclear. The Lake Superior town contained port facilities and power stations, and a critical bridge across the Nipigon River was located 120 kilometers to the northeast, suggesting that the Company’s personnel may have guarded these strategically important locations.
Jack spent only two weeks in Port Arthur before receiving a transfer to No. 18 Company, VGC. His new unit was perhaps a more familiar environment, as No. 18 drew its personnel from Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. At the time of Jack’s transfer, the Company was stationed in Grande-Ligne, 50 kilometers south of Montreal, QC, where Camp 44, a prisoner of war facility had been established on the grounds of the Feller Institute, a pre-war boarding school and farm.
In early 1943, the Department of National Defence assumed control of the Feller Institute site and transformed its facilities into an internment camp. A barbed wire fence was erected around its grounds and six guard towers built along its perimeter. A tall wooden fence was also installed along a nearby highway to block the view of passers-by,
Camp 44’s first POWs—372 German officers and 92 “other ranks”—arrived from nearby Camp Farnham in June 1943, with a second group of 100 officers and 30 other ranks from the United Kingdom entering the facility the following month. Officers were accommodated in a four-storey building, which also included a kitchen, dining area, recreation room, library and performance space. A large gymnasium and small hospital were located nearby.
Among other activities, POWs organized a 40-member symphony orchestra, two dance bands and several chamber music ensembles. Sports were popular as well, the facility expanding to include three fields, the largest of which was built by the prisoners themselves. Track and field, tennis (indoor and outdoor), football (soccer), basketball and boxing were among the many recreational activities available to detainees. Groups of up to 100 POWs were also permitted to walk the camp’s farm grounds “on parole.”
The Camp also offered a wide variety of educational courses to POWs. Visiting professors from McGill University delivered lectures on Canadian subjects to responsive audiences. A large library provided access to a wide variety of contemporary magazines and newspapers. POWs also planted food crops in the facility’s fields, tended to several cattle, pigs and chickens, cultivated private garden plots and kept several bee hives.
Jack carried out guard duty at the Grande-Ligne facility for four and half months. Granted a two-week furlough on July 2, 1945, he likely returned home to visit his young family. Perhaps in response to a request to serve closer to his family, Jack was “attached for all purposes” to Camp B/70, located in Ripples, NB, shortly after returning to duty. During the Great Depression, the small, rural community had housed an “unemployment relief camp” close to the local train station and within the confines of the Acadian Forest Experiment Station.
Camp B/70 was situated near the community of Minto, 30 kilometers east of Fredericton. The area’s forest provided work opportunities for its detainees. Its first occupants were approximately 700 German and Austrian individuals of Jewish descent, many of whom had fled to the United Kingdom to escape persecution. Uncertain of their loyalty, the British government asked Canada and Australia to accommodate the refugees.
Initially designated Camp B and later re-named Camp 70, the Ripples facility was the only internment camp established in the Atlantic region during the war years. In the spring and early summer of 1940, Department of National Defence officials oversaw the relief camp’s conversion to a facility capable of accommodating 600 individuals. Its first occupants—the previously mentioned German and Austrian detainees—arrived in August 1940.
Witin a year, officials determined that the men were not a security threat. Given the choice of returning to the UK or remaining in Canada, many decided to travel to England and enlist for military service. Others obtained sponsors and worked in a variety of fields—medicine, arts and business—in Canada and the United States.
In July 1941, Camp B transitioned to a German internment camp, accepting a group of approximately 600 civilian detainees from Camp K (Kananaskis, AB). Many were later released on parole, only those deemed “high risk” remaining in custody. Re-named Camp 70 in September 1941, the facility accepted groups of German and Italian civilian detainees and German merchant seamen throughout the remainder of its operation.
As with other facilities, detainees could access a wide variety of educational courses offered at varying levels. Merchant seamen were provided with instruction in a range of areas relevant to their employment. The detainees converted a large recreation field on the grounds into a football field and organized teams. During the winter months, the field was converted into a skating rink. Men also participated in track and field events, weight-lifting, boxing and other sports. Several music ensembles were organized, their instruments provided by the YMCA and International Red Cross.
Detainees also cultivated a large area within the grounds, providing the camp with a supply of fresh fruit and vegetables. Other internees carried out maintenance tasks and harvested firewood in the nearby woods as a fuel supply for the camp’s stoves and boilers. A group of Italian merchant seamen considered low security risks was later transferred to Ontario, where the men maintained railway lines in several areas. A small group of internees with strong pro-Nazi sentiments were transferred to a facility that housed like-minded individuals in Western Canada.
By November 1944, transfers and releases had reduced the camp to fewer than 200 individuals. Numbers continued to decline as the war in Western Europe came to an end, leading to the facility’s closing on August 31, 1945, at which time its remaining detainees were transferred to Camp 23, Monteith, ON.
Jack reported to Camp 70 on July 25, 1945, as operations were winding down. Two weeks later—August 11—he was admitted to the camp’s hospital for treatment of an unknown health issue. At mid-month, he was transferred to Fredericton Military Hospital, suggesting that his condition was serious. On October 1, 1945. Jack was officially “struck off strength” of No. 18 Company, VGC, “while a [hospital] patient.”
As the days passed, Jack’s condition appears to have worsened. At 1145 hours October 19, 1945, Private John Christopher Jamieson died in Fredericton Military Hospital. A “circumstances of casualty” form identified the cause of death as “coronary thrombosis”—formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel within the heart. The condition usually results in a “myocardial infarction,” commonly known as a “heart attack.” Jack’s remains were transported to Guysborough, where he was laid to rest in Evergreen Cemetery on October 22, 1945.
An entry in Jack’s service file, made following his passing, states that his death was “not due to service.” Canadian Pension Commission document, dated March 16, 1946, concluded that cause of death—coronary thrombosis and degenerative myocarditis—was “pre-enlistment, aggravated during service in Canada, but the aggravation did not arise out of, nor was it directly connected with military service” and was “not attributable to [his earlier] CEF service.”
Jack’s father John had died in Guysborough at age 75 on April 27, 1938, the result of “acute cystitis”—a sudden bladder infection—and pyelonephritis—a urinary tract infection. He had also suffered from chronic myocarditis for years. Jack’s widowed mother Margaret Ellen remained in Guysborough, passing away “at home” on May 15, 1955, also the result of coronary thrombosis.
Sarah Gertrude Sadie (Dickie) Jamieson, Jack’s common-law wife, spent her later years in Guysborough. where she died on June 22, 1994. John James Jamieson, Jack and Sadie’s older son, pursued a career in the Canadian Armed Forces, spending much of his time in uniform at CFB Summerside, PEI. He later retired to Ottawa, ON, where he passed away on November 14, 2015. George Clair Jamieson, the couple’s younger son, lived and worked in Pictou County and pre-deceased his older brother.
Harriet Viola “Hattie”, Jack Jamieson’s first wife, remained in the United States for the rest of her life. Hattie married after Jack’s death and raised a family of two daughters in Gloucester, MA. She passed away there on November 13, 1985.
Jack and Hattie’s son, Alonzo George, enlisted with the United States Army at Boston, MA, on December 10, 1943. Married with one child at the time, Alonzo applied for United States citizenship in March 1944 while training at Fort McClennan, Alabama, and spent the remainder of the war in uniform. No further details are available on his military service.
Upon returning to civilian life, Alonzo returned to Gloucester, where he and his wife, Eleanor Louise “Sis” Carter, raised a family of two children. At the time of the 1950 United States census, Alonzo was employed as an auto parts salesman. He passed away in Gloucester on November 3, 1977, eight years before his mother’s passing. Only 54 years old at the time of his death, Alonzo was laid to rest in Beechbrook Cemetery, his final resting place marked by an official United States of America military headstone.
