John Nicholls was born in England in 1887 and arrived in Perth in 1912, having already been married and a father. As soon as he settled at he began playing for the Claremont senior team until the time of his enlistment in 1915.
Nicholls served in France and his war was ended when he was discharged as medically unfit in May 1917 with defective vision. After his return he married again in 1919 to Alice Dorizzi and when widowed he tied the knot yet again to Ruby Galvin in 1952.
John Nicholls passed away in Scarborough, WA, in 1956 at the age of 69. His younger brother by 11 years, Bertram, also served in the AIF and went to become a star player with the Claremont club after the war.