John le Caux Balleine Payn was born in South Africa in 1892. The sixth of seven children, his parents were Jersey-born Philip Payn and his wife, Mary, who came from the Eastern Cape.

There is tantalisingly little information available about John’s life. When war was declared in Europe, he answered the call from King and Empire, and enlisted in the South African Infantry. His regiment – the 1st – fought in North Africa and at the Somme, but it is not clear when and where he was based.

It is likely that Private Payn either had a base in the UK, or that he was hospitalised there following an illness or an injury. He passed away, through causes unconfirmed, on 4th March 1916. He was just 24 years of age.

It was impractical to repatriate John le Caux Balleine Payn’s body to South Africa for burial. Instead, he was laid to rest close to his father’s family, in St Martin’s, Jersey.

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