Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of William Brown a granite quarry man, born 1869 in Swithland, Leics., and his wife Mary, born 1872 in Quorn, Leics. John William was born in 1894 in Mountsorrel, Leics., he had one sibling, a sister Ethel Sarah, born 1892 in Swithland, Leics., in March 1901 the family home was at Main Street, Mountsorrel, Leics. In April 1911 John was employed as a blacksmith’s striker and was residing in the family home at Union Lane, Mountsorrel, Leics., together with his parents and siblings, Ethel, Doris Gwendoline, born 1905 and Ronald Bowler Brown, born 1902, the latter two siblings were both born in Mountsorrel, Leics.