Fowler, John

John Fowler was born on July 3, 1888 in West Ham, London, England. He enlisted in the Canadian army, machine gun section 169th Overseas Battalion CEF Camp Niagara, on February 14, 1916. He served in England and France (including Vimy Ridge). He was hospitalized with pneumonia and suspected tuberculosis in England and France in 1917. He spent five months at the Hamilton Sanatorium recovering from tuberculosis and bronchitis. He later spent five years in and out of various hospitals in New Jersey, Vancouver, and New Zealand seeking treatment. Although he was an engineer prior to the war, he was not able to work due to his collapsed lung. He spent his working years on a small pension supplemented by part-time self-employment. He was married to Harriet Elizabeth Fox (married on November 27, 1915) and they had one son together, William John Fowler (who served in the Second World War).