Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of William Arthur Allsopp a draper and grocer, born in the January quarter of 1868 in Castle Donington, Leicestershire (son of William Webster Allsopp, 1842-1869 and Eliza Knight, 1842-1914) and his wife Frances Hanson Allsopp (nee Belcher), born in the April quarter of 1871 in Kegworth, Leicestershire and baptised on the 4th June 1871 in St. Andrew’s Church, Kegworth (daughter of Edward Belcher and Sarah Hanson). John was born in the July quarter of 1897 in Castle Donington, his siblings were Edward Arthur, born in the July quarter of 1895 and Mildred, born in the July quarter of 1899, both siblings were born in Castle Donington, in March 1901 the family home was at Mount Pleasant, castle Donington. In April 1911 John was a schoolboy and was residing in the family home at Mount Pleasant, Castle Donington, together with his father, an auctioneer, his mother and siblings, Mildred, a schoolgirl, Margery Annie, a schoolgirl, born in the April quarter of 1903 and Barbara, a schoolgirl, born in the July quarter of 1906, the latter two siblings were both born in Castle Donington. John was educated at Loughborough Grammar School.
The Brigade of Guards service records all exist, but were deposited in 2018 with the Ministry of Defence in Glasgow, the exception being the Scots Guards, whose service records are now in the possession of the Trustees of the Scots Guards Charitable Trust, and are free to access. The remainder of the Foot Guards records are available at the current cost of £30.00 per inquiry (2019). As a consequence, all that is known of John from military documents that are available in the public domain is that he enlisted into the Brigade of Guards in Nottingham, was allotted the service number 18480, and posted as a Private to the Guards Depot, where upon the completion of his training he first entered the theatre of war in France on the 24th May 1915 to join his Battalion. Nothing further is known of his service, until he was wounded in action and admitted to the 23rd General Hospital in Etaples, France, where he died on the 6th October 1915. John was buried in Etaples Military Cemetery, in the Pas de Calais, France. The inscription on his headstone reads: - “Ever True to God and Right.” He was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
On the 29th April 1919, John’s father was awarded a weekly Army Pension of five shillings, to commence on the 6th November 1918.
On Tuesday, November 2nd, 1915, The Leicester Daily Post published the following article under the heading. FALLEN LEICESTERS. – (A photograph accompanied the article) – Private J. ALLSOPP, 2nd Grenadiers, died of wounds in France. Belonged to Castle Donington, and was an old boy of Loughborough Grammar School.