In the annals of Wellington County history, few stories are as interesting as that of John S. Coker, a resident of former Eramosa Township who was killed in action during the First World War.
Almost a century after his death, accounts of his life remain a source of inspiration to many of Coker’s descendents.
“He was my great uncle and his memory in our family remains strong to this day,” Ken Coker of Acton wrote in a letter to the Advertiser. “There has always been great pride in our family in John S. Coker and the sacrifices he endured.”
Ken was subsequently gracious enough to share some insight into his great uncle’s life. The following account is derived from a combination of Coker’s service records and events described in Shock Troops by Tim Cook and Silent Witness by Herbert Wood and John Sweetnam, as well as photos and Ken’s recollection of family stories.
John S. Coker was born March 2, 1885 in Eramosa, the son of John and Hannah (nee Bolton) Coker. His parents were residents of RR 3, Rockwood.
Coker worked as a carpenter and was also an accomplished woodsman in his pre-war days. He also spent five years in the 30th Wellington Rifles militia unit.
He travelled to Edmonton sometime around 1912, joining friend J. Dewey Soper for an expedition that lasted for approximately one year in the Peace River District in northwestern Alberta.
“The experience north of Edmonton was probably an excellent prep for John for the conditions he would face on the Western Front,” wrote Ken.
Coker enlisted in the Canadian Army in September 1914. He initially signed on with the 9th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force and his unit sailed for Britain on Oct. 3 as part of what is believed to have been the single largest convoy ever to sail from Canada, carrying 30,000 troops.
Upon arrival in England, his contingent was camped out at Salisbury Plain, spending a miserable winter in tents.
The 9th was later designated a reserve battalion, so Coker was transferred to the 3rd (Toronto) Battalion in 1915 prior to shipping out to France. This battalion is perpetuated today by the Queen’s Own Rifles and the Royal Regiment of Canada.
Coker’s unit was part of the Second Canadian Division that arrived in France in the summer of 1915.
“The remaining months of 1915 saw no major battles in the Canadian sector but there was still plenty of trench raiding and other hostile activity going on,” said Ken.
He added that fortunately, Coker’s unit arrived after the first use of poison gas on Canadian troops, but water in the trenches was knee deep and illness was widespread.
A crack shot, Coker did service as a sniper and led his men through much action, including at Mount Sorel, Somme, Fleur-Courcelette, Anchor Heights, Arras, Vimy, Arleaux and Passchendaele.
Coker was promoted corporal, in the field, on March 19, 1916 and raised three months later, in the field, to sergeant. He was later offered an officer’s commission but turned it down to remain with the men he was leading.
At the Battle of Vimy Ridge – April 9 to 12, 1917 – Coker’s unit was initially held in reserve. They were finally committed, along with the 4th Battalion, to capture the last two lines of resistance: the “blue” and “brown” lines.
They spent the first two hours of their advance simply struggling across the battlefield and making their way through bodies, shell holes and other fresh carnage before reaching the new front line.
Awarded Military Medal
They then followed a creeping artillery barrage to capture the blue line. The barrage started up again and both battalions advanced on the brown line, which was in the heart of the German defences. The taking of the brown line completed the battle for Vimy Ridge.
Coker was posthumously awarded the Military Medal in July 1917. He died of serious wounds on May 3, 1917 at the age of 32. His grave is one of 2,771 Commonwealth graves from the First World War in the Aubigny Communal Cemetery Extension in Pas de Calais.
“Surviving First World War veterans described [Coker] to my grandfather as the ‘old soldier’ – one of the few left in 1917 of the first Canadian contingent that had gone overseas in 1914,” Ken wrote.
“His letters home indicated near the end of his life that he knew the trauma of trench warfare had permanently scarred him and also that it was unlikely he would ever see home again,” Ken said.
The sacrifices of men like Coker and William W. Sammon, a fellow Eramosa veteran who was killed in the Great War, prompted Guelph-Eramosa Township to name two Rockwood streets in the new Charleston Homes subdivision after the two war heroes.
“Whenever we drive past the Rockwood cenotaph we give a quick glance to his name,” Ken wrote of his great uncle. “And it is heartening to see he will also be remembered now on Coker Crescent.”
