John was educated at Portsoy Public School, Fordyce Academy, Aberdeen Grammar School and Aberdeen University, and graduated M.A. [III Math.] in 1900. He was then a teacher at a variety of places including Dornoch and Girvan, but returned to the University of Aberdeen in 1914, as a Divinity Student. John enlisted on 14th January 1916. He was 38 years and 300 days old, and was living at 18 Cullan Street, Portsay at the time. He was sent to Army Reserve and was mobilized on the 15th June, being posted to Aldershot. He embarked at Southampton on 24th September - entering the war in Basra on 15th November 1916, traveling via Alexandra, Suez and Bombay, and was posted to serve with No 133 British General Hospital. He was admitted into his unit on three separate occasions from 22nd November 1916 suffering from Dysentery and Sandfly Fever. On the evening of the 9th July 1917 he was admitted again complaining of pains in his stomach and a headache - he had a temperature of 100.6. The next day he was feeling better and his temperature had come down. However by 4.14p.m. he had gone into a comatose condition and investigation concluded that he was suffering from heat-stroke. He died at 4.30a.m. the next morning. The Chaplain wrote of him “He was beloved by all who knew him.... While engaged in his strenuous work in the RAMC he played the manly and Christian part.... and finally crowned his ministry of service with the supreme sacrifice.” John was the son of James Badenoch, an auctioneer and valuator of Portsoy, Banffshire.