JOHN Gill was a village lad, born on East Street, Gargrave, in 1882. Sadly his mother, Martha, died giving birth so John was brought up in on a farm in Eshton by his grandparents, Thomas and Lydia.

He had a happy childhood, living alongside his older brothers and sisters, and it was only by chance that he discovered in his teens that one of these "siblings" was, in fact, his father and the rest were his uncles and aunts.

The facts of his birth had been kept from him and this discovery changed his life. He ran away from home and joined the army and, by the time his family located his whereabouts, he was on a ship on his way to see action in the Boer War. He was just 16 years old.

The British Army soon found a need for mounted troops and John's early life on the farm at Eshton led to him serving in the West Riding Mounted Infantry. By the end of the war in 1902, John had risen to the rank of Acting Sergeant and it is known that he was offered a position in the South African Constabulary but returned home on leave, which was another life-changing decision.

On returning to Gargrave, the soldiers were accompanied by villagers and John was escorted down from the station by a young lady called Kate Austin who worked for the curate at the church. She was to be his future wife and they were to be together for more than 50 years.

John began working for his uncle Luke Gill in the village butchers shop at Bridge House but Gargrave suffered hard times after the mill burned down, forcing John and Kate to move to Earby where John started work at a weaving company.

With World War One raging, John joined up in 1915, serving first with the Duke of Wellington's Regiment but later transferring to the Northumberland Fusiliers. Sergeant John Gill was injured, probably in around 1917, and was sent to Sawtry, near Cambridge, where pictures were taken showing him on crutches.

However, he soon returned to action in France and on August 21, 1918, he led an attack on German positions along a railway line at Achiet le Grande near Bapaulm. Company Sergeant Major John Gill collected his men and led by example. The attack was hailed a success despite heavy casualties and John being wounded by machine gun fire. For the operation, John was awarded his first Military Medal.

Only four weeks later, John was in action again despite his injuries, this time 16 miles east of Achiet le Grande near Havrincourt, and was recommended for his second Military Medal. Here, the company lost all of its officers and John took control as the senior officer and succeeded in capturing the enemy's positions. In both actions, Company Sergeant Major John Gill was at all times a true hero and a man of action.

On returning to Gargrave at the end of the war, John took over his uncle Luke's butchery business as Luke's son, Thomas Asquith Gill, had died in France soon after his father's death in 1918. John continued to run the business and is still remembered by Gargrave's older residents in his shop which later moved to South Street.

However, his days of action were not over and, in 1923, he was recorded as catching a thief who was attempting to pick pockets at Gargrave Show. John later served as a senior NCO in the Home Guard in Gargrave in World War Two and continued to run the butchery business in South Street until the early 1950s when he retired.

Kate died in 1955 and John in 1960 in Horbury near Wakefield where he moved to be near his daughter, Kathleen.

John was awarded a further honour when he received a Certificate of Merit for his services and was selected to represent the area at the Victory Parade in London in 1945. At the age of 63, he marched through the city with pride, which was a fitting reward to a very brave soldier.

Now, his life will be told at an exhibition at St Andrew's Church, Gargrave, which opens on Saturday and runs until next Sunday, November 15.

The exhibition also includes the Magna Carta display first shown at Craven Museum as well as other local topics such as women before, during and after World War One, the Gargrave soldiers who died in Mesopotamia, the history of businesses in Gargrave including Pennine Buses, the story of village schoolteacher and poet Robert Story, village health and a feature on the Dicken Medal, awarded to pigeons, which includes a competition for children.

It will be open from 10am to 4pm each day.