We regret to advise of the death of Sergeant John William Wills, CD (Ret’d) at Eagle Ridge Hospital in Coquitlam BC on 24 July 2003 at the age of 80 years.
John was born in Ponoka, AB. He was a veteran of the Second World War. He joined the Canadian Army in 1940 and served in the Royal Canadian Engineers in the UK and Europe. At the end of the war he remained in Germany as part of the Occupation Force. When he returned to Canada, he stayed in the Army Permanent Force.
In 1950, John joined 57th Field Squadron while it was being formed in Chilliwack, BC using officers and senior Non-Commissioned Officers from 23rd Field Squadron while new recruits and reservists filled the ranks. After months of training in Fort Lewis in Washington State, 57th Field Squadron boarded troop ships in Seattle on 17 April 1951 and spent the next year in Korea. John returned and continued to serve in the Royal Canadian Engineers in various locations across Canada including Camp Borden and the Royal Canadian School of Military Engineering (RCSME) in Chilliwack, BC.
John was awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery in 1965 in recognition of his quick reactions when a recruit at RCSME dropped a grenade in the bay. John pounced on the grenade and threw it over a safety barrier seconds only before it exploded. The commendation read "His prompt action at considerable risk to his own life was instrumental in saving the recruit from death or very serious injury.”
After retiring, John stayed in BC. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #119 in Port Moody, BC.
There will be no service by request. In lieu of flowers, a donation in John's memory may be made to the charity of your choice.
