John Vinton Dillon, aka ‘Jack' was born on October 24, 1918 to the parents of Olive and Fred Dillon of Tecumseh. Jack and his siblings, William, Edith and George were raised in the area of Lesperance Road and Riverside Drive. The Dillon children attended Victoria Public School. The Dillon Family was quite involved in the community; Jack's father Fred helped to build a number of homes in the area. Jack entered the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and was a commissioned member of the air crew 419 Moose Squadron. He was posted in Britain as J.V. Dillon Windsor ON. Flight Sergeant J.V. Dillon, Service No. R109988, was an integral member of the RCAF. The 419 Moose Squadron, alongside squadrons from 427, 428, 429, 431 and 434, flying Halifax II LW-242, were ordered on an attack at Stuttgart. Sadly, Flight Sergeant J.V. Dillon was killed in action as part of this large raid over Germany on November 26, 1943. He was 25 years old. Flight Sergeant J.V. Dillon is buried in the Rheinberg War Cemetery in Germany. A local marker is at St. Anne's Cemetery on the headstone of his parents, Fred and Olive Dillon. In recognition for his service, Flight Sergeant J.V. Dillon is included on the World War II plaque that is on display at the Tecumseh Area Historical Society.
Dillon Drive was formerly known as Ottawa Street. It was renamed in the late 1960s because the City of Windsor also had an Ottawa Street which provided confusion for identifying municipal address locations, particularly for emergency medical services. The street name change provided an opportunity to recognize and honour Flight Sergeant J.V. Dillon for his service.
To commemorate the history and significance of Dillon Drive, naming recognition in honour of John Vinton ‘Jack' Dillon was acknowledged by replacing the existing Dillon Drive street signs with new signs that have a 'Poppy', symbolizing Dillon Drive being named in honour of a veteran.
A dedication took place at the October 24, 2017 Regular Meeting of Council, with members of the Dillon Family.
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