John was born in Great Glemhan on 5th October 1885; he was the second son of Harry and Ellen (née Howard). In 1901, the family was living in Sand Pit Hall, Great Glemham, and John was working as a horseman on a farm. By 1911, the family had moved to Street Farm, Great Glemham.

In early 1914, John successfully applied for a position at St Audry’s Hospital and joined the staff on 12th March. It was not until the 27th July 1915 that John and six other attendants enlisted in the Royal Army Medical Corps. In the autumn of 1916, John was married to Bessie Elizabeth Banthorp in the Woodbridge registration district. Soon afterwards, he was posted overseas.

There are few records available about John’s war service apart from the fact that it was spent entirely in France and, that in February 1918, he was reported to have been wounded. By the end of the war, he was based at Number 12 Camp, just outside Harfleur in France, where he was working at a Detention Hospital. These sites were specifically to treat sick soldiers from the large base camps in the area. From here, John wrote to Mr Gaffney, the Steward of St Audry’s, requesting his old job back. He returned to St Audry’s on 16th June 1919 and resigned from the position in the following August.

John and Bessie moved to the north of the county and, in 1929, John was the landlord of the Fishmonger’s Arms at Needham near Harleston. From there, they moved to Henstead and became the landlord of the Queen Adelaide public house.

For his war service, John received the British War and Victory Medal.