John was born on 8 March 1923 at 38 Trevor Square, London to American parents Sidney Weingarten and Meta nee Russell (Rosenberger) and he had an older sister Margaret. Sidney was a corset manufacturer, a family business Weingarten Brothers, set up by his father Oscar. John’s mother Meta died in 1941 and is buried in Willesden Jewish Cemetery.

John was killed in Anzio, Italy and is buried with a Cross on his headstone and the CWGC have advised that his father ordered the symbol. Sidney and Meta were married in a New York Synagogue and John has a token on his mother’s grave.