Zachariah Blake, Barr’d Islands
First Newfoundland Regiment
Number 4055

It has been my custom during the month of July to do some research on some of the men from Fogo Island who were part of the 1st Newfoundland Regiment. As I have stated several times, this particular regiment was pretty nearly annihilated in the Battle of Beaumont Hamel on July 1st, 1916, and it is because of that fact that I do this during the month of July. One of the men I researched this year was Zachariah Blake of Barr’d Islands. Zachariah was not involved in that particular battle, but was a casualty of the war, nevertheless. Thus, this piece is about him.
Zachariah Blake, who was born in Barr’d Islands, 1893, was a son of John and Jane Blake. Another of John’s sons, Jeremiah, was an uncle of mine by marriage. Thus, I had a number of first cousins who were of the Blake family. I’ll get back to another member of that family a little later on.

As I have stated a number of times, I grew up in Barr’d Islands, and at that time the Blake name was still common there. More to the point, perhaps for me, was the fact that certain landmarks carried the Blake name. There were Blake’s Hill, and Blake’s Pond, but most significant to me was Solomon’s Hill. Solomon was a Blake, of course, and his home, many years before, was in the vicinity of a rather steep hill over which the only road in the community was built. I feel certain that the naming came about because of common reference, not to any fact that he may have laid claim to the hill. Regardless of that, we had to climb that hill twice a day in order to get to school, and sometimes it could be quite treacherous.

On the 30th of October, 1917, with the war still raging in Europe, and the details of the Battle of Beaumont Hamel known to everyone by this time, Zachariah Blake decided that it was his duty to serve King and Country. He had just turned 22. He was 5 feet, 6 inches and weighed a mere 130 pounds. He gave his occupation as labourer. He then embarked for overseas duty on December 11, 1917, on the S.S. Florizel from St. John’s, Newfoundland. I am unable to find any details of his war-time activities. However, he was hospitalized on several occasions with serious eye conditions, but was discharged on the 22nd of March, 1918, and then attached to the 615th Employment Company, Chiseldon.. He was admitted to Hazeley Down Camp Hospital, Winchester of the 27th of October, 1918, seriously ill of pneumonia. He died on the 6th of November, 1918, just 5 days before the war ended, but perhaps an insignificant point, as far as the family of Zachariah Blake was concerned. His father, John, was initially informed by telegram of his son’s serious condition, but on November 7th, 1918, received this telegram from J.R. Bennett, Minister of Militia:
Regret to inform you that Records Office, London, officially reports No 4055, Private Zachariah Blake died of pneumonia at Hazely Down Camp Hospital, Winchester, November 6th.

A letter stamped 10th November, 1918, to Officer i/c Records, Newfoundland Contingent, states that Pte. Blake, Z. was buried on the 9th of November in Morn Hill Cemetery, Winchester. This information was eventually forwarded to John Blake, his father, at Barr’d Islands, with a picture of his son’s grave and marker. On February 11th, 1921, John Blake replied to W. F. Rendell: Dear Sir, I beg to acknowledge receipt of photograph of my son Private Z. Blake’s grave for which I sincerely thank you. Incidentally, this letter was written in beautiful hand-writing. The final note in his war-time records was that the balance of this soldier’s bank account was $29.16, and that this amount had been forwarded to his father in Barr’d Islands.

Zachariah had a brother, Levi, Number 2590, who was also part of the 1st Newfoundland Regiment, and already fighting in Europe when Zachariah enlisted. Levi was a mere 19 years old. He was captured as a prisoner of war on March 3rd, 1917, and wasn’t released until December 19, 1918. (Another prisoner of war from Fogo Island was Lewis Boone, Number 2019, of Seldom Come By. He had enlisted on June 6th, 1915, when he was just 17. He was captured on April 14th, 1917, and was released on December 14th, 1918.)

These two were two of the140 Newfoundland POWs in the 1st World War I, almost one-third of these were captured on a single day – April 14th, 1917 – on Monchy - le- Preux, as was Pte. Boone of Seldom-Come-By. Prisoners of War, according to personal accounts, existed on near starvation rations, although some parcels of food, etc., did reach them from home. If they were sick, as often they must have been, or wounded, they received inadequate care resulting in life-long disabilities. As well, POWs were expected to do manual work, often under harsh supervision. At least 36 Royal Newfoundland Regiment soldiers died while prisoners of war and were buried behind enemy lines.

A final note on Zachariah. I was a little intrigued that he gave his occupation as a labourer, rather than as a fishermean. I wondered what he might have done in Barr’d Islands nearly a hundred years ago that would have been classified as a labourer. Perhaps he worked in the liver factory or on Earle’s wharf. I did think, though, that he was of no less worth than those of whom Letts wrote in her Poem “The Spires of Oxford.” Of the students there she had this to say:
They left the peaceful river,
The cricket field, the quad,
The shaven lawns of Oxford
To seek a bloody sod—
They gave their merry youth away
For country and for God.
Although I love that poem, and truly appreciate the sentiment it expresses, I wondered where the poetry was for the ‘labourer’ and the ‘fishermen’ from the far-flung coves of Newfoundland, who did no less than those students of Oxford. Perhaps it is out there and I am not aware of it. Perhaps I am cynical. I wondered about Zachariah, alone, in a hospital in England, dying, alone. It brought to mind the poem “The Toiling of Felix” by Henry Van Dyke, which I am sure many of you reading this, are aware of. Basically the substance of the poem was about an early Christian who sought Christ but found him eventually in honest labour; Here is a stanza from that poem describing his death:

The legend of Felix is ended, the toiling of Felix is done;
The Master has paid him his wages, the goal of his journey is won;
He rests, but never is idle; a thousand years pass like a day,
In the glad surprise of that Paradise where work is sweeter than play.