John Williams was born in Wellington, New Zealand. A champion surfer, he joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1938. He first saw combat in 1942 during the North Africa Campaign, where he flew P-40 Kittyhawk fighter planes. He was an excellent pilot, and in September 1942 was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. In October, he was promoted to Squadron Leader and given command of No.450 Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force. Three days later, on 31 October, he was shot down during Operation Supercharge, the Second Battle of El Alamein.

Discovered wandering through the desert by the Germans, he was sent to Stalag Luft III, arriving in early 1944. John was one of the seventy-six men to escape on the night of 24 March 1944, during the Great Escape. He and four others were recaptured by a German mountain patrol while attempting to cross the Riesengebirge Mountains into Czechoslovakia. He was murdered on 29 March 1944. He was 24 years old. He is today commemorated in CWGC Poznan Old Garrison Cemetery, Plot 8. Row D. Grave 1.