Regimental Number: 101361
Rank: Private
Branch: 66th Battalion
John was born in Liverpool, England on March 1, 1885. In 1910 he immigrated to Canada, and in 1912 he filed on a homestead at SW 28-71-7-W6. John took over the management of the Royal Hotel in August of 1915, but two months later left to enlist in the Canadian Army. He was sent overseas, but only made it as far as England. In April of 1917, John was declared medically unfit and sent back to Canada. He had defective vision (blindness in the right eye), the right side of his face was paralyzed, his hearing was impaired, and he had trouble eating – all this due to having been shot in the neck as a child, around 1889. He also had some sort of disability in his left leg, and had had multiple surgeries as a child. Upon returning to Grande Prairie, he was appointed assistant to Land Agent Clarke. In November of 1929, John married Molly Higginson. They had one son John. When Land Agent Clarke was transferred to Peace River and Grande Prairie’s office was relegated to a sub-agency, John was left in charge. In 1943 (six years after the death of his wife) John was transferred to Edmonton. He died there in January of 1962.
Sources: Lake Saskatoon Reflections p. 31, 196; Pioneers of the Peace p. 256