James H. Rawlinson

Born in Southport, Lancashire, on September 12, 1883, James Holgate Rawlinson later lived in Toronto and served as a private in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. He was severely wounded on June 6, 1917, suffering a gunshot wound to the head that left him totally blind.

Rawlinson is best known for Through St. Dunstan's to Light, a memoir drawn from his experience after the war. In it, he describes life at St. Dunstan's, where blinded soldiers were trained in practical skills and encouraged to build independent lives again. The book remains valuable not just as a war memoir, but as a personal record of adaptation, dignity, and everyday courage.

Records from the postwar years show that he also spoke publicly on behalf of disabled veterans, urging better support for widows, dependents, and men with total disabilities. He later worked as Secretary to the Chief Medical Officer of Pensions and National Health in Canada, continuing a life shaped by service long after the war itself had ended.