This webpage is dedicated to John Dirom, 1893-1989.
John, or Jack as he was known to his friends, was born in Markinch, Fifeshire, Scotland to Peter and Isabella (nee Cairns) on April 19, 1893. His father, Peter, worked on the railway. John had twin sisters, Jane and Elizabeth, born March 1892.
John emigrated to Canada in 1913, sailing from Glasgow Scotland on the Donaldson Lines, Athenia. The ship sailed over the exact spot where the Titanic when down one year earlier. The Athenia slowed her engines and wreaths were dropped to honour those that perished. The Athenia landed in St John, New Brunswick, and John travelled to the west coast of Canada by train, settling in Duncan, Vancouver Island, British Columbia and later Victoria.
This webpage is dedicated to John's life and eventually will contain excerpts from his autobiography, details of his military service, and more on his ancestors.
At this time I have included the Nominal Roll of the 48th Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force. John Dirom enlisted as a stretcher-bearer in this battalion and went overseas in July 1915. The Battalion was renamed to 3rd Pioneers (48th Battalion CEF)before proceeding to England.
March 2001
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