214143 Pte. Jabez Cockerton Beales was born in May, 1895, in St. Thomas, Ontario and at the time of his joining the 99th (Essex) Battalion on March 18th, 1916, in Windsor, Ontario, 214143 Private Beales was a labourer at a foundry.
Sailing from Halifax on May 31st, 1916, on the RMS Olympic (one of Titanic's sister ships), Jabez reached Liverpool, England, on June 8th, 1916.
The 99th BN trained at West Sandling Camp, and Jabez was amongst 15 men from the 99th who were transferred to the 4th CMR on October 28th, 1916 (indeed, 71 men of the 99th BN were transferred to the 4th CMR between August 1916 and September 1918).
Jabez saw the thick of the action in the 4th CMR campaigns at Ypres, Vimy, Passchendaele and the Somme, during which time he received facial wounds caused by mustard gas.
Having survived the war, Jabez returned to Canada on the RMS Carmania and was struck off strength in Toronto on March 20th, 1919. He returned to the foundry he worked at before the war, but finding the gassing had bothered his lungs he went on to other lines of work, including a farm labourer at $1 a day, and latterly as a chauffeur.
Jabez, despite the worry to health caused by the gassing in WW1, lived to the grand age of 91, and passed away in August 1986. He lies at rest in South Woodsley United Church Cemetery, Ontario.
The above details and photograph credit are with thanks to Martin Beales.