Babcock first attempted to join the army at the age of fifteen, but was turned down and sent to work in Halifax until he was placed in the Young Soldiers Battalion in August 1917.

[1] From that point he received international attention, including 109th birthday greetings from Queen Elizabeth II, the Governor General of Canada and the Canadian Prime Minister,[2] until his death on February 18, 2010.

[6] At the age of fifteen and a half, Babcock was impressed at Perth Road by two recruiting officers, one a lieutenant and one a sergeant, who quoted from the poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade".

[3] Tired of the work, Babcock took the opportunity to volunteer for the Royal Canadian Regiment when fifty recruits were called on, claiming that his age was 18.

[5] Babcock then undertook an ocean voyage to England and, in Liverpool, he was stationed with the 26th Reserve and sent to Bexhill-on-Sea where he trained with about 1,300 others, about a third of whom were veterans from battles in France.

In one case, one of his comrades stole a dollar watch and received nine months in prison and Babcock cited that as an example of the strict discipline in the military structure.

[14] He received a Canadian Army pension that totaled $750 shortly after the conflict and took advantage of veteran vocational training in his native country to become an electrician.

He ran a small light plant in his home neighbourhood of Sydenham,[7] and later had a career as an industrial supply salesman in the United States.

[16] After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, he attempted to sign up for active duty with the army's flying service (the United States Air Force was not formed until 1947), but was turned down for being too old.

[8] He therefore spent World War II in the United States Army and among his duty stations was Fort Lewis, located in Tacoma, Washington.

[5] As of 2006 he was in good mental and physical health, displayed by his ability to quickly recite the alphabet backwards, spell out his name in Morse Code, and take daily walks with his wife to keep in shape.

[5][10] Babcock was married twice, first to Elsie, then to Dorothy, a woman nearly thirty years his junior[17] whom he met when she was taking care of his first wife while she was dying.

[6] Babcock was invited to the opening of a Pentagon exhibit on March 6, 2008, featuring photos of nine First World War veterans, but was unable to attend.

The request was approved by the Prime Minister and the paperwork was signed by Governor General Michaëlle Jean, after which officials from Citizenship and Immigration Canada were flown to Spokane to complete the swearing in ceremony.

[14] Governor General Jean and Prime Minister Harper made statements of condolence shortly after his death and,[3] on the anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge (April 9), Canada's monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, issued a statement marking the two events, stating: "As proud and grateful Canadians, we pause today to mark not only the ninety-third anniversary of this Nation's victory at Vimy Ridge but also to pay tribute to the passing of a truly remarkable generation who helped to end the most terrible conflict the world had ever known.

"[21] The local Royal Canadian Legion in Sydenham, Ontario has a collection of First World War items on display, including a roll call with Babcock's name on it, in his honour.