Alain John

Alain Jordan Clement John (20 June 1920 – 23 December 1943) was an aspiring sculptor of Armenian descent who joined the RAF as a navigator, and was killed during the Second World War. John is known for his statue of Christ in Blessing, which stands in the ruins of Coventry Cathedral in memory of those who died in World War II.

Background of John and his statue John was descended from an Armenian merchant family that had migrated from New Julfa, Persia to settle in Calcutta, India. Alain Jordan Clement John was born in Karachi. He was educated at Blundell's School in Tiverton for six years, "overlooking the quadrangle". at a public house in Tiverton, Devon, having chosen to finish the sculpture rather than visit his parents in India. Cast in concrete, and "lengthened, like the great Chartres figures, preferring to fly with those friends as a Navigator Sergeant rather than seeking a commission. The Air Ministry initially considered placing it in the Westminster Abbey memorial to The Few of the Battle of Britain.