John Neil MacLellan was born on 6 October 1913, the second of ten children to Angus MacLellan and Cassie MacLellan of Ottawa Brook, Inverness Co., Nova Scotia.

John left school and worked as a gold miner until his enlistment into the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, R.C.I.C. on 11 March 1940, aged 26.

He trained in Canada and was posted overseas, disembarking at Gourock, Scotland on 2 September 1940 and continued training until he took part in the attack on Dieppe on the morning of 19 August 1942.

John was listed as missing during this attack and was confirmed by the Swiss Legation, Vichy France in January 1943 as being killed in action on 19 August 1942 and his body buried in the communal cemetery, at Equihen Plage. John was 28 years old.

In 1947, his remains we recovered and reburied in the CWGC Canadian War Cemetery, Leubringhen, St Inglevert near Calais.