John, ‘Jack’, Henry Blewitt, born on 15th November 1897, attended Coleshill Grammar School for five years before transferring to King Edward’s School in September 1912. He lived with his stepfather, Archibald Hargrave Blewitt, a solicitor, and his mother Blanche Ada (née Pidgeon), at Sherbourne Cottage, Coleshill. His biological father, Walter Henry Dawson, emigrated to Canada.
Little is known of John’s activities at School as he is not mentioned in the School magazines.
In 1915, John joined the Indian Army as a Cadet, gained a commission a year later as a Second Lieutenant attached to the 54th Sikhs, before being promoted to Lieutenant. He was mentioned in despatches only days before dying of wounds on 22nd April 1917, aged nineteen, in Mesopotamia. He is commemorated on the Basra memorial and the Coleshill Grammar School Memorial.