John was born on February 26, 1920 in Harrogate, England. He died very peacefully on January 31, 2017 with his two beloved daughters, by his side. He had a long and full life. His first eleven years were spent at Saltburn by the Sea, Yorkshire . This was a very happy time. His home on Ruby Street was at the top of the cliffs and from an early age, he was free to roam . Sitting on his father鈥檚 shoulders, he watched the historic moment when a floundering sailing ship crashed through the end of the pier. As the Great Depression hit, John鈥檚 father, who was a Saville Row trained tailor, moved his family and business to Middlesbrough and from there to Harrogate and Leeds. After school in Leeds, John worked as a junior accountant. He was also an active sportsman. He played soccer in a semi professional league and was a keen amateur boxer winning a cup as junior champion welterweight in 1937.
With a potential war on the horizon, John followed in the footsteps of his father and brother and joined the British army in April 1939. He was posted in September to France then on to Egypt and Palestine. Early in 1940, Italy entered the Second World War, and invaded Egypt aiming for the important Suez Canal. His battalion was in the counter attack and drove the enemy back to Libya. But a large German force besieged John鈥檚 unit for nine months in the famous siege of Tobruk. From there they were moved back to the Golan Heights, Syria to break a strong force of Vichy French. Finally his active service moved to India and Burma with a welcome respite on the beautiful island of Ceylon. In his war service, John was seriously injured in action, narrowly missing death when his jeep hit a land mine. He was hospitalized in Tobruk, Jerusalem, Cairo and Colombo.
Finally at the end of 1944, he was on the glorious ship home. His family hardly recognized him, rugged and tanned. On demob and a short university course, he qualified for the Civil Service where he served for thirty years. He and his beloved wife, Rita, came to join their two daughters, Gwyneth and Barbara in Comox where they happily spent their last years with their daughters, grand children and great grandchildren.
A celebration of John鈥檚 life will be announced in a future newspaper.
The family are very grateful for the wonderful care John received at Glacier View Lodge.