Page 16 - PC Issue 14 Summer 2020

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PRESBYTERIAN
SUMMER 2020
presbyterian.ca
Connection
HISTORY
Faith on the Front Lines
By Robert Gee, retired educator and member of Gale Presbyterian Church in Elmira, Ont.
This is a compilation of some of the stories of Regimental Sergeant Major (R.S.M.) John (Jack) S. Gee, a long- standing member of Knox Presby- terian Church in Listowel, Ont., and former clerk of Session.
Jack was born on March 25, 1913, in Listowel, Ont. He was the only male child in a family with four older sisters and four younger. He was a focal point in his family, especially after his father abandoned them and he was the “man” of the family.
Jack helped out by delivering for the drugstore in his old Model T. He also trained with the 100th field bat- tery in Listowel. When war was de- clared, Dr. Gordon Kirk was helping to organize the 24th Field Ambulance unit with members from the Kitch- ener area. Jack was able to hold his rank from the field battery and trans- fer to this new unit. He was a natural leader and organizer and was soon promoted to Regimental Sergeant Major (R.S.M.).
Jack was a very religious man who took his faith seriously. He felt strongly about duty, family and coun- try, even after hearing the horror stories of World War I from his uncle Sidney Gee—an air force observer.
The lonely sentinel
As an R.S.M., Jack was expected to travel close to the front lines to set up the Aid and Dressing stations to sup- port operations. One cloudy day in Italy, he was travelling quickly on his Harley motorcycle over some rough terrain that was pocked with shell holes of previous battles. He found himself on a ridge looking out over a small valley. Much of the vegetation was destroyed with only sticks and some skeletons of trees remaining. Jack stopped to take a drink of water and survey the area.
Suddenly, he heard the lonely haunting strains of a solitary crow. It seemed to be calling to him. He put down the kickstand on the bike and got off the machine to stretch his
Regimental Sergeant Major John ( Jack) S. Gee of Listowel, Ont., next to a shrapnel-filled ambulance after a battle in Holland.
back. As he did this, his eye caught the unmistakable pimpled ground ar- ray which took his breath away. He was in the middle of a minefield. Sweat started to bead on his brow. He raised his head to the heavens and asked God to deliver him from this peril. Jack grabbed the handle- bars of the bike and slowly retraced his path under the scrutiny of the crow, who sat quietly as though it un- derstood the gravity of the situation. After what seemed like hours, he was able to back out of the minefield. He marked it with a large branch. Before leaving, he said a prayer of thanks and called to the crow sentinel, who in his mind was an angel watching over him.
After the war, Jack did his best to feed the birds, especially in the win- ter.
The promise
Scouting out positions for new dressing stations close to the front continued to be a dangerous deploy- ment for Jack. This particular day, he was accompanied by an army First Lieutenant who was new to the front. They were travelling in a jeep and decided that they had come close enough to the action, so they parked the machine and slowly crept to the brow of a hill. Everything seemed quiet and so they slowly moved around some rock outcroppings and into a gently rolling meadow.
Suddenly, the ground erupted with artillery shells. The men dove for the
ground and buried themselves into the soil. The lieutenant wanted to make a run for it, but Jack felt that their best option was to hunker down and wait. He thought that the enemy crew would not waste too much of their ammunition on two soldiers. He was wrong. The shelling continued, following a pattern that he was famil- iar with from his days in the 100th field artillery unit.
There was no cover. They were pinned down. There was nothing to be done but pray. In those terrifying moments, Jack asked God to save them. He also made a solemn prom- ise that if they were spared, he would work hard to serve the Lord in his community.
Jack knew that the next two shots would land directly on their position. But, inexplicably, the firing stopped. He and the lieutenant crawled quickly
Jack Gee in Kitchener, Ont., receiving the Military Medal presented by His Excel- lency Viscount Alexander of Tunis on behalf of King George on May 31, 1947.
out of the area and ran to the vehicle. What had just happened?!
After the war, Jack returned to Lis- towel and became the postmaster. He and his new wife, Dorothy, raised three children, John, Bob and Susan in this community. The promise that was made that day was upheld by Jack as he became a tireless leader in his church. He was a long-stand- ing member of Knox Presbyterian Church, where he served as clerk of Session, Sunday School teacher and superintendent. He conducted ministerial visitations for the church
at hospitals and retirement homes for 20 years.
Within the community, he coordi- nated the Emergency Measures Or- ganization for the town of Listowel, served on the school board and initiated and organized the St. John’s Ambulance brigade. He served on many committees within the town. As well, he found time to be an inspi- rational father and a fine husband to Dorothy until her death in 1990. Jack continued his journey of service to others for another 20 years until his death in 2010.