John  was born in Leavesden Watford Hertfordshire and grew up in the Hertfordshire village of Kings Langley before joining the Royal Navy in 1982. He left the Royal Navy in 1989 and then spent 25 years in the Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service (HFRS) before retiring as Station Commander for Operational Training in 2015.

He moved to Drybrook with his Wife in February 2020 having lived in Monmouth for two years and in the Hertfordshire village of Markyate for 20 years prior to that, which has a similar topography to that of Drybrook.

He enjoys, amongst other things, diy, walking, canoeing and scuba diving.