Background
Nathaniel William Slater was born April 9, 1895 in Cambridge, Massachusetts to Alice May DeWitt and William Ainsworth Slater. Nathaniel’s father was from England and his mother was from Blissville, New Brunswick. Prior to Nathaniel’s birth, both his parents had been living in New Brunswick. William had come to Saint John where he found work as a stone-mason. It is unclear how they met, however, according to marriage records they had a quiet wedding at the home of a friend in Juvenile Settlement October 27, 1892. After their marriage, the couple moved to Cambridge where William was employed as a stone-cutter. Records suggest that after three years, Nathaniel was their only child. A year after he was born, his mother became sick with typhoid and passed away at the age of twenty-six. Eight years after her death, William remarried a woman named Isabella Dor. Both had been previously married and had lost a spouse. Records appear to suggest that during this time Nathaniel came to live with his aunt, Sarah Ann Slater, who lived in Hoyt and was married to William B Eastwood. His military service record describes Sarah as his foster-mother. Another brother of William’s also lived in the area, named John. As a result, accounts appear to explain that William moved Nathaniel to New Brunswick after Alice’s death because it was close to her family, and it where his brother and sister were also living. According to Nathaniel’s attestation papers, prior to the war he was working as a farmer in the area with family and had begun attending the Brunswick Street Baptist Church. On September 24th, 1915, Nathaniel formerly enlisted in Sussex, New Brunswick with the 64th Battalion before being transferred to the 104th. His attestation papers reveal that he had a fair complexion, hazel eyes, and brown hair, while standing five feet eight inches tall. Only twenty years old at the time, “Nat,” as he was called by his friends, joined others from the area and began training and preparations for going overseas. He spent the winter of 1915-1916 in Canada before his unit went overseas in early summer.
Wartime Experience
On June 28, 1916, Private Nathaniel William Slater embarked from Halifax, Nova Scotia aboard the S.S. Olympic for Liverpool, England. Arriving on July 5, he remained with the 104th in England until being transferred to the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles in November. Before arriving in France with the 5th CMR, Nat wrote his formal will leaving everything to Sarah, his aunt and foster-mother. According to his active service record, he arrived in France December 4, 1916 just after the Battle of the Somme had concluded. Arriving in the area of Arras with the Canadian Corps in the winter of 1916-1917, Nathaniel was part of preparations that were being planned and practiced leading up to engagements at Vimy Ridge. After participating in actions at Vimy with the 5th CMR his unit shifted northward towards the area Lens. On August 23, 1917, Private Slater was in front line trenches that had been taken over from the German a week earlier near Hill 70. According to the official war diaries of the 5th CMR, at approximately 3:00 a.m. on the morning of August 23, Slater’s position started to be hit by artillery shells. The shelling would continue all day long. At some point during the day Nathaniel was killed, although details of his death have not survived in the records. The following Saturday, his father received a message from Ottawa that his son had been killed during actions at Lens. Reports of his death were revealed by the Daily Gleaner on September 20 indicating “extreme sympathy” from everyone in the community who knew him. Nathaniel was twenty-two at the time of his death.
Lest We Forget
Private Nathaniel William Slater is buried with honour at the Dud Corner Cemetery, located in Loos-en-Gohelle, France. According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, there are approximately 684 identified casualties in this cemetery. Nathaniel also has a marker that was placed in the Hoyt Baptist Cemetery in New Brunswick.