John spent most of his working life in Filey after growing up in York.  He married Rachel, a girl from Bridlington and the pair was happily settled for several years before he was conscripted into the Royal Engineers.

          As one of the more mature members of his unit John was given an N.C.O.’s position and eventually rose to the position of Staff Sergeant, virtually the highest rank available before commissioning as an officer.  This was within the 28^th Field Hygiene unit of the Engineers; their role can only be presumed to be the construction of wash huts and latrines for troops in the field.

          It is unclear as to where he served as his unit has very few available records surviving today and the task of researching his service history is made even harder because John died on UK soil.  His end is recorded as dying of wounds received in the field and he was interred in the cemetery of his wife’s native town of Bridlington.  John was the son of Richard and Alice Sawdon, of York.