B/63746 Corporal John William “Bill” Dainty was born on 7 January 1918, in Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom, the son of John William Dainty and Sarah Stevens. He came to Canada with his mother and sister in 1919, and his father arrived later with another sister. It seems his parents may never have been married and they separated in Canada in 1921 or 1922. Both subsequently married (other people) and had large numbers of children that were Bill’s half-siblings.

Dainty left school at the age of 12 and had worked as a butcher for about 8 years with Canada Packers, when he enlisted with The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada on 13 June 1940 in Toronto, Ontario. He trained in Toronto, Camp Borden and Sussex, New Brunswick, and served with W Force in Newfoundland.

• 29 July 1941 – Arrived in Scotland with QOR
• 19 Nov 1942 – Appointed Acting Lance Corporal
• 20 Feb 1943 – Appointed Lance Corporal
• 5 Apr 1943 – Appointed Acting Corporal
• 21 May 1943 – Promoted Corporal

Dainty landed on Juno Beach with B Company in the first wave on D-Day, 6 June 1944, and was killed in action, aged 25. He is buried in Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, grave reference I. C. 8.