Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Joe and Kate Rate of 23, Finkey Street, Oakham, Rutland. He was one of six sons all serving in the armed forces at the same time. He was before enlistment in the service of E. Riddle Blount, Esquire of Cheeseburn Grange, Newcastle on Tyne as a footman. After enlisting into the 3rd/4th Battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers he went into training at Hexham, and proceeded to France on the 7th March 1916, he was involved in several engagements escaping unscathed, before transferring to the Lewis Gun Section of the 12th/13th Battalion. He was at home on leave in August 1917, and had only returned about five weeks when the sad news of his death on the 4th October reached his parents. A comrade wrote a letter to his parents describing the attack that was being made at the time, says their company left the east side of Polygon Wood at 6.00am on October 4th to reach an objective about 1,500 yards away. They had nearly succeeded, when they sought the shelter of a shell hole to adjust or refill their gun. Private Rate was the first to emerge from the shelter, and was instantly shot down by a sniper, death being instantaneous. The comrade who wrote this was wounded in the shoulder at the same time. He added that the desceased was buried as decently as circumstances permitted, but enquiries sent to the Graves Registration Secretary, have been answered that the grave has not been located. His brother Sidney also fell.