John Jolliffe

Pte. John Jolliffe was an army reservist during the First World War. He was the son of High Street hair dresser Mark Jolliffe and grandson of Joseph Clapham, who was a town crier for Harrogate.

Biography
He joined 4th Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry prior to the war declaration. As he had agreed to take part in "Imperial Service" he remained in the battalion when it was re-designated 1/4th Battalion.

He arrived in Europe on 12 April 1915 at Boulogne-Sur-Mer. In early May he was shot through the back by a German sniper while his platoon dug a trench. He was quickly taken back to Clacton-on-Sea to recover in hospital. This earned him the title in the Yorkshire Evening Post as the first Normanton Territorial casualty of the war.