South Yorkshire Times, August 26th 1944
Home after Five Years
Sgt. John Jackson, of 13, Pope Avenue, Conanby, was a reservist before the war, and was recalled to the Army in August 1939. On the day war was declared he was sailing down the Clyde on his way to East Africa and he never saw home again until last Saturday.
On arrival in East Africa, he went on to the Sudan and went half-way through Abyssinia and then back to Eritrea. From there he went to Egypt for a short time and then on to Cyprus.
He next saw service in the Western Desert and was in the Knightsbridge retreat to Alamein. About this time, he was medically re-graded and since then has had various jobs. Although he was in the fighting for so long, he has escaped with only a minor injury cased by shrapnel.
He did not bother reporting to a casualty clearing station, in order to avoid upsetting his wife and family with the news from official quarters that he was wounded.