Cpl Jess Sargeant

Jess was the eldest son of William Sargeant and Mildred Robinson. He was born on 14 Oct 1894 in Derby Twp, near Owen Sound Ontario

 "I believe that my father"s (Christian) name was Jess. There is an inscription in a book his mother gave him in which it is spelled that way." and not Jesse.--Nick

 The service records from the Veterans Affairs Department also show an interesting thing. Where his name is shown on his enlistment papers, the name shows as Jesse with the last "e" crossed out.  His demobilization papers show his signature as "Jesse".

 "Jess used to come in on my clean kitchen floor. We didn’t have linoleum or anything  and had to scrub the wooden floor. He came in and his feet were dirty. I was mad at him and I just pushed him out the kitchen door and he hit his knee on the coal-oil can spout. He (then) fell down and played dead. I was so frightened. I was just terrified. Then when I was all sorry and weeping, he jumped up and laughed. My I was mad."---Mildred 

 "My brother could never say elephant. He always said Umphiant. He saw the umphiants at the circus."--Mildred.

 There is a photo on page 74 of the 1902 students of SS No. 2 Derby Twp school ,  The History of Derby Twp. Jess is shown on the front row, second from the left.

 Jess worked for Solly Amacher in Owen Sound as a Gardener. Solly had a place near the cemetery.  Produced all sorts of produce for him, strawberries, beets, carrots. When Jess worked there he used to bring big bunches of bananas that had got too ripe home. He would bring great big bunches on his back.  We sure ate lots of bananas.--Dow

 "Do you remember when Jess went off to war?--John

 "He went early in the First War, with five Derby Boys. George Becket didn"t come home nor Roy Feltis. They were both killed overseas. I don"t know about the other two."-Mildred

            Owen Sound Sun  May 20, 1915

This morning the citizens said goodbye to the third contribution of Grey county"s sons , one hundred and eighteen stalwart men who have heeded their country"s call. Of this number ninety one are citizens of Owen Sound . 

Grey Boys in Third Contingent........

 Pte Augustus King, Owen Sound, age 20, single born in Canada, gardener.........

 Pte Jess Sargeant, Owen Sound age 20, single born in Canada, gardener.

 There is a photo of Jess and several others from the Owen Sound area, in uniforms prior to leaving for France in the History of Derby Township. The photo credit erroneously states that Jess went over in the first contingent. He went in the Third contingent .

 Dow talks of his mother hearing him grunting out in the kitchen and going out to see what was the matter. They had a big wood stove and Jess and he used to sit near the stove where it was warm. Here was Jess, he"d come home on leave, sitting behind the stove on the floor with his arms around Dow, hugging him so hard he grunted. She told him to stop that he was hurting him. He said "I"ll be missing him. This is why I"m going over there."--John

 "I believe he served at Passchendaele and Ypres"--Mildred

              Service Record 409184

Enlisted 11 June 1915, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario

(Some of the people from the Owen Sound area that enlisted on or around the 11 June 1915,    are listed in the Appendix.)

Theatres of Service, Canada, Britain, France

Discharged-15 March 1919, Toronto Ontario

Type of Discharge-Honourable

Rank on Discharge-Corporal *(Dow says that he was offered the sergeant"s rank, but refused because of his surname.)

Medals-British War Medal, Victory Medal

             Enlistment papers

Trade at Enlistment - Gardener

Description of Jess Sargeant on Enlistment

Apparent Age-21, Height 5"91/2", Eyes - blue, hair - reddish,

Religion-Methodist

Original Battalion was the 37th

 He was granted permission to marry by the officer commanding 37th Battalion some time in July 1915, he does not know the exact date.

Next of kin-Nora Sargeant, , Owen Sound Ontario Canada.

 Indications are that Jess served as part of a machine-gun crew in the 21st Battalion of the 2nd Division of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces.

                21st Battalion War Diary - August 14-15 1917, Appendix "F", page 4.

                Attack on Hill 70

Among those whose works deserve special commendation in this connection and as runners are L.Cpls GA Brown and J Sargeant and Ptes WW McGure, C Colwell and W Lloyd"

 
                      Letters Home

During his stay in England and France, Jess wrote home and some of the correspondence survived. There are several post cards, now in the possession of his son Nick  the texts of which are reproduced here;

     Dec 2, 1915

    Bramshot Camp   Lipbrook Hants Eng

    Dear Folks

    Just a card showing you that I am still on the salty water. This is a picture of our vessel, which I never want to see again. I am well but have been sea sick. We are 250 miles from England. We are sleeping on top deck tonight with our life belts on as we are in danger of subs.

                                                J.S.

      2 Feb 1916

    Bramshot Lipbrook Hants

   Dear Mother

Received your parcel OK and was more than pleased with the socks for they came in very handy. Got the   on the 24th of last month. This is one of the cards I got when I was on pass. Some swell place. We are breaking out camp here and I don"t know where we are going. There are nearly half of the camp leaving this morning. I hear them churning yet. I am well and hope you are the same.

          from your son, Private J Sargeant

Post marked Pte J Sargeant , Staff 32 Batt, Bramshott Camp, Lipbrook Hants Eng.

    22 Mar 1916, London

Dear Mother

I am enjoying myself on six days pass to London before I go to France. Am well.

From your son, Pt J Sargeant, London

    27 Jun 1918

    Seaford (spelled Ceaford)

Dear Mother

These are some of the views I saw while on leave. We got these cards in his majesties shafts(?). Aren't they swell. A little different from dad"s hackneys. Drop us a line if you receive them.

Jess.

    6 June 1918

    Thorncliff

Dear Mother

Just a card to let you know I am well and am leaving here shortly for overseas. We are having very bad weather here now. Heavy rain storms. Write soon

Love son Jess

    22 Jan 1919

    Owen Sound

Dear Mildred

This is afternoon and Jess sleeps a lot and is a lot better part of the time but seems lazy and don"t speak much but knows all you say to him and nods his head. Well dear will try to let you know every day.

Love from Mother   Don"t worry.

    24 Oct 1924

    Pelly (Saskatchewan)

Dear Folks

Just a card to let you know I am feeling well.---to hear from you.

Lovingly Jess

Recollections--

I knew Jess and Nora. I"ll never forget we were in the milk business, I mind him going up there to gather milk and they put some dynamite in a can and it hadn"t gone off and Jess went to look it over. It blew up in his face. He had his face all covered in bandages.

Of course I remember when Jess went off to war. I think he wanted to go and do his duty. I"ll never forget when he came home, my father (George Sargeant) said to him "Did you ever kill a man?"

Jess said "Yes,I met him on the bridge and it was either him or I".

He had shrapnel in the brain. They  couldn"t operate on it. He was lucky to have a good family. I think he had his family when he came home, at least part of it. I never heard of a finger injury. I know my Dad helped a lot with the family.                            -----Marjorie

"Jess came home but his big finger was shorter. I don"t know what happened to that big finger. He had terrible headaches and he was violent some times. Because of the headaches he spent a lot of time in London.(at the veteran"s hospital)."---Mildred

That wound in his neck was fixed by a German doctor, Jess told me. We got word from headquarters when he was wounded in the neck by a piece of shrapnel.--Dow

"I was living in Toronto by the time Jess came home from the war. He would lie on mother"s bed sometimes in the day. He just kept looking up. He didn"t even blink his eyes. They were wide open. It seemed so strange to me.

Mother said that they were terrified. He took the lamp out to the barn and started to let the cattle out of the stable with the lamp, undoing the chains on the neck collars. Father followed him of course. They had a terrible time. It always made me nervous when mother told me about that."--Mildred.

"He returned to Canada and went to Pelly Saskatchewan to farm. His health broke and Cliff and his father went out to Saskatchewan to get him. He also raised peanuts as a hobby here in London when they lived here."--Helen   (There is a photo of the house in Pelly in Dow 's album)

"He was in hospital a lot. He was a quiet person. I remember him, although I was only 7 when he died."

"He came back after the war and homesteaded. I believe I recall my mother saying that he worked either for the telephone or hydro in addition to the homesteading."

"There were two medals. I recall them vaguely. I can show you an example of my father-in-law's. The registration number  along with the name of the soldier was cut in the rim of the medal. We don't have the medals and I have no idea where they went---Nick

"Dad had a balloon-tired bike that he used to ride. He rode from London to Brantford I know."---Joan Cook

"I remember Dad riding the Schwinn bike from London to Brantford. He did it once or twice only I think. That would be on old highway #2 and that would be quite an accomplishment. I recall we lived next door to a bus driver who complained that he"d almost hit my dad with his bus."--Nick

"Dad won prizes at the Western Fair for his woodworking and for wickerwork. He also had a garden at the hospital" --Joan

Jess and Nora had a family of eight children, Jean, Nye, Roseline, Nora, Joan, Nick, Norman and Digby

Jess spent most of his latter years in the Veteran's Hospital in London. On the 7^th of Feb 1939, he succumbed to his wounds. He is buried in Mt Hope Cemetery in Brantford .

            NORA MARY MOTHERSELL SARGEANT

One of the most impressive things I have come across in the research for this record, is the admiration and respect with which Jess Sargeant"s children speak of their mother.

A native of Owen Sound,(born 25 May 1984), She married Jess Sargeant on the 13 July 1915.  While Jess was away at war, she lived at 864 10th Street E in Owen Sound. Jean was born before he went overseas.  They then moved to 46 Grand St in Brantford Ontario. Jess came home for a few days each month from London.

She lived at 126 Burwell St in Brantford for 25 years. She raised all of her children there. Their father had died in 1939 and she survived some 20 years alone. She was a member of the Sydenham Street United Church in Bantford.  When it was really hot out she would say "There is nothing like a good cup of tea, to cool you down"--Joan

When the Conservatives were running for election one of the planks in the platform was to reduce widow's pensions. She never voted Conservative again.

She died suddenly after an operation on the 6th of November 1959.  She is interred in the Mount Hope Cemetery Brantford, beside her husband Jess.  Her daughters have produced a wonderful cookbook including some of her recipes.

I never met my uncle. He had died some years before I was born. However his memory in the family is certainly one of respect and honour. The overwhelming comment from the folks in his generation is that the handsome boy who went to war, came back a man with ghosts and wounds that affected him the remainder of his life. His family was obviously treated with gentle kindness and consideration and it must have tortured him that he was not able to provide for them more completely.  I wish I had known him.

Submitted by John P Sargeant  February 7, 2005

Summary of Service File

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