John (Jack) Taylor was born on September 16, 1879, in Gilgarran, Cumberland England. At a young age, he immigrated to Canada and settled in Lethbridge Alberta. There, he was employed as a warehouseman, working for several local companies. He met and married Agnes Knight, who had immigrated from Motherwell, Scotland. They raised four children, John Joseph, William James (Buck), Mary and Katherine.
Jack enlisted in the army (Reg. 301691) on October 13, 1915, and was assigned to the 39th Battery, Canadian Field Artillery, Canadian Expeditionary Force at the rank of Private. During his service, he was assigned duties as a driver. He was medically discharged on June 28, 1917 for what was diagnosed as osteoarthritis.
The actual later diagnosis was Huntington’s Disease. Due to the lack of information regarding this disease and the lack of medical support available in Lethbridge, Jack was moved to the mental hospital at Ponoka Alberta, where he died on February 22, 1932, at the age of 53. He was laid to rest in Mount Calvary Cemetery in Lethbridge.
Jack’s sons, John and Jim, both served in the army, in European Theatres during WWII. Both daughters married men who served in the RCAF (Mary) and the army (Katherine), during WWII, thus leaving a legacy of service to the Canadian Forces and to their communities.
