[1] His father was the architect on the Earl of Galloway's estates in Wigtownshire and at the time of John's birth was supervising the building of the parish church in Kirkcudbright.

[2] Before the start of the First Sino-Japanese War he had been the Master of the merchant vessel Kow Shing, which had built in 1883 in Barrow-in-Furness in England and which flew under the British flag.

Along with Ding Ruchang several other senior Chinese officers committed suicide on 12–13 February 1895 after their failure to stop the Japanese at the Battle of Weihaiwei.

Ding Ruchang had started surrender negotiations with the Japanese commander on 12 February but after the suicides of all the senior Chinese staff command of the Beiyang Fleet fell to McClure who wrote a letter of surrender in Admiral Ding's name, and had it translated into Chinese and transmitted to the Japanese on the morning of 12 February.

McClure requested that all Chinese troops, civilians and the foreign military advisors be allowed to depart unmolested, and suggested that the British China squadron oversee compliance with the surrender agreement.