John Geoffrey Hollinshead, Sub-Lieut., was born on November 25th 1917 in Wallasey, now in Merseyside. He was the first son of Alfred Hollinshead, who was an officer in the Black Watch at the time of John’s birth, and his wife Lily, née Gresty. John joined HMS Dunedin in 1940. His younger brother Alfred, a lieutenant in the Black Watch, was killed in North Africa on April 12th 1943.