John Wills

Known as Jack, Patrol Leader Jack Wills had the OB built in his farm. He was tough and innovative. He lost 2 fingers as a young child by put them in the gearing of a threshing machine.

He adapted a saw bench that appeared in Farmer and Stockbreeder magazine, and was one of the first in the area to have a front-end loader. 

After the war he used his skills (and possibly some 'left-over' demolition equipment) to take out tree stumps, an accident left him suffering 40% burns and was taken to Odstock Hospital. Odstock was a former WW2 military hospital near Salisbury, and at the birth of the NHS in 1948 became home to the Wessex Plastic Surgery and Regional Burns Wards. He was left with a permanent speech issue. He was involved with the pier building at West Bay harbour in the 1950's.