Lieutenant Thomas Alexander Rowat was born in 1888 in Winchester, Ontario, the second son of the Presbyterian Reverend A. Rowat and Margaret McKenzie Rowat. Reverend Rowat had served as minister of Athelston and Elgin Presbyterian Church’s (1884-1909) before moving to St. Lambert. Thomas Rowat, who had served with the Huntingdon Borderers Militia, enlisted in Toronto in September 1915. In early June 1917 the 38 year old Rowat wrote what was to be his last letter home, in which he expressed the feeling that he would be killed before the end of the war:
Your letter of May 31 and mailed June 1st in Montreal, received last night while I was (and still am) in the trenches. I think this is the quickest time in which a letter has come from home. Glad to hear you are well.
The hopes of my leave are not so bright now, that is, for leave in the very near future, but still may come soon. You know there are only two things we look forward to here, that is, going out of the trenches at the end of our tour, and leave. Although leave in England, even now is not ‘bomb proof’ since these air raids are still being carried on, as no doubt you have seen by the papers.
It is wonderful when one thinks how many hearts and hopes are affected by this war, directly and indirectly. We have read of great events in the world’s history during different ages, but none has been so far reaching as this and no one wish and hope has taken hold on the world so much as the one you express. We look and hope for peace, but at the same time feel that although it is sure to come sooner or later it may come too late for some of us individually. I do not wish you to think I am despondent, for they say here I am the most cheerful of the lot, and I think I am, but one can hope in the midst of it all . I feel more sorry for the wives of young married men with families of young children, with practically the life of the family just starting, such as Donald’s, and the bitterness of hoping against great odds.
When I look back over your life and father’s, how calmly and placidly you bore all trials and how now you come to the twilight of your life you seem to both be so happy and content and assured that “Come what will” all will be well. It is a wonderful inspiration to me and I see no reasons why I should not see things in the same light.
Love to all.
Yours affectionately,
Alex
Several days after writing the above letter, on June 28th, 1917, he was killed by a German artillery shell, while serving with the 38th Battalion in the La Coulotte area, near Quebec Trench and Kirk Trench. His father received the following letter:
France, June 30, 1917
Dear Mr. Rowat:
As the chaplain whose sad duty it was to read the burial service over your heroic son, I am taking this opportunity of expressing my sincere sympathy for you in your great bereavement. Your son was killed by a German shell in a dugout in our front line. The merciful feature about his death is that it came instantly, and did not cause him any prolonged agony.
Although your son has been with the Battalion but a short time, by his winning manner he had succeeded in becoming one of our most popular officers. The best tribute that can be paid to his memory is that “He played the game”. The deepest regret is felt throughout the entire Battalion, both officers and men, over his death. He won his way into the hearts of the men by his dramatic readings from Robert Service. Although I had known your son but a few months, I learned to respect him as a soldier and a man. May the divine Father comfort you in your time of need. I’m confident that your son has gone to meet the One who also gave His life for a cause.
We buried your son in a military cemetery some miles back of the front line, where his grave will not be disturbed by the desecrating shells of the enemy. In the course of a few days a cross will be erected to his memory by the Battalion. The military authorities will not allow us to disclose the location of the cemetery, but if you write the following address they will send you the full particulars, and a photograph of the grave, if you desire the same
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”
Yours sincerely,
Harry B. Clarke,
Chaplain, 38th Battalion, Canadian Infantry
The Battle for Hill 70 represents a success of the Canadian Corps that is often overlooked, falling between the battle at Vimy Ridge and the horrors of Passchendaele. As a result of the attack at Vimy, Lieutenant-General Sir Julian Byng was promoted to take command of the British 3rd Army. The new Commander of the Canadian Corps was Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Currie, knighted by King George V after the battle of Vimy Ridge. For the first time in history, a Canadian was in command of all Canadian troops. On July 7th, 1917 Currie was ordered to take the town of Lens in northern France. Currie, a superb tactician, refused a frontal attack on Lens instead proposing an attack on Hill 70, a high piece of ground to the north of Lens. The Canadian’s attacked Hill 70, starting on 14 August 1917.
