John Cornish RODLIFFE joined the Army at Whitehall on 16 May 1918 and was deemed to have enlisted on his 18th birthday earlier that month. His next of kin was his father Mr J C RODLIFFE, 27 Fountayne road, Stoke Newington. His medical recorded him as 5' 5½" tall, weighing 146 lbs with black hair, sallow complexion and brown eyes. His chest fully expanded was 36½" with an expansion of 2½". His physical development was good; he had been vaccinated in infancy and had two vaccination marks on his right arm; his vision was 6/6 for both eyes. He was classed A4 which meant that he was expected to be A1 or A2 when he attained the age of 19.

He was posted immediately as Rifleman to 53rd (Young Soldier) Battalion, a basic training unit at Northampton. Just eleven days later he was posted to B Company 52nd (Graduated) Battalion at Colchester; his regimental number was 61198. He was appointed unpaid Acting Lance Corporal on 10 June and granted pay of that rank on 12 July.

Despite the Armistice in November 1918 his service was compulsorily retained in February 1919. He embarked with the battalion at Dover on 28 February and landed at Dunkirk. The recorded highlights of his active service are brief but seem to include some time with the British Army of the Rhine, the force occupying the Rhineland:

• 12 May 1919 'in the field'. He failed to comply with an order from Sergeant Brazier: "when ordered to parade for bathing failing to do so." He was reprimanded for this on 20 May by his commanding officer Captain C W Beare.
• 13 July 1919 'in the field'. He sustained an injury to his arm (recorded as ICT - Inflamation of the Connective Tissue?), was transferred to 83rd General Hospital at Langenfeld on 22 July and discharged to duty on 28 July.
• 11 September 1919 at Hilden. Sergeant Bevan gave evidence of neglect of duty: "when in charge of a Section not seeing that the men were properly dressed before coming on parade." He was reprimanded that same day by Captain Beare.
• 21 November 1919, apparently returned to France from Germany, he was granted 14 days leave to UK but was admitted to Grove Military Hospital, Tooting on 5 December, delaying his embarkation at Dover by a few days. Had the injury to his arm failed to mend? Or was this a new injury? He was discharged fit for duty on 16 December with instructions to report to Victoria Station for his return to France.

On 31 December 1919 he was returned to UK for demobilisation and was discharged on 5 January 1920 and received £2 pay in advance.

He was living in Hertfordshire when he married Mary M HOCKING, known as Mamie, in 1924.

Daughter Lilian Margaret was born in 1927 and twins John Ross and Sylvia V came along in 1930. In 1939 the family were living at 34 Prospect Road, East Barnet, Herts. Just down the road at number 17 were newly-weds Ronald HOLLIDAY and Vera née STEVENS. Ronald was a master builder who was involved part-time during WW2 in rescue and demolition. Vera would become company secretary of John C Rodliffe Ltd.

By 1948 John C had moved to Treyarnon, Prospect Road, New Barnet, and the offices of John C Rodliffe Ltd, wholesale textiles, were at 16 Ogle Street London W1. A few years later, probably after the business was wound up in 1952, he moved to Norfolk where he lived with Vera HOLLIDAY and changed his name to John Cornish Rodliffe HOLLIDAY. He died at Sheringham in 1991.

His father's holding of 1,250 shares in John C. Rodliffe Limited was transferred to him on 29th December 1936. Brothers Stan and Dick, who had been employed within the business, formed their own company W.S. & R.L. Rodliffe Limited, Silk and Textile Converters, later to be called Stanrich Fabrics.

The Times of December 4 1952 records Vera Holliday, the company secretary for John C Rodliffe Ltd, calling a meeting of creditors on 11 December 1952 at 3 o'clock in the offices of Messrs Alfred Tooke & Co 8 Salisbury square, Fleet street, London EC4.