His father died when he was five years old. Wingate started work in the coal-fields near his home in Cowglen, Renfrewshire when he was nine, and at 17 he was the main breadwinner for his mother and family.
His father passed away when Wingate was young. At a tender age of nine, he began working in the local coal mines to help support his family. By the time he turned seventeen, he was the primary provider for his mother and household.