Born in 1888 in Ulverston to an Irish father and an English mother, the West family relocated to Dublin where John Snr.
worked for the Ordnance Survey Ireland, in due course his son John joined him there while also beginning his football career.
[2] His goalscoring record for that season showed a total of 23 goals from 31 games in all competitions.
[3] John had a lifelong love of music and would often sing and perform at social functions related to Bohemians.
In the early 1920s he began singing professionally and enjoyed some success, appearing on stage frequently in Dublin and also touring Britain and Italy.