John Carroll was born in Liverpool in Lancashire on 3 July 1920. He joined the Royal Navy and trained as an Able Seaman.

Having volunteered for ‘Special Service’ he was drafted to HMS VARBEL where he was trained as an X-Craft Crewman.  HMS XE11 was lost on the morning of 6 March 1945. John Carroll was onboard XE-11 for a training run and calibration of instruments in Loch Striven. When changing depth and coming shallow XE11 accidentally came into collision with a Boom Defence Vessel which was laying buoys. The hull was holed by the ship’s propellor, the submarine flooded up and sank to the bottom. Of the five crew members onboard at the time two managed to escape but Aubrey Staples (the Commanding Officer) and two ratings were lost.

John Carroll of 58a, Tillard Street, Liverpool who was lost, was the husband of Ann Carroll. He is buried in the Rothesay Cemetery Section L Grave No. 2091 and is commemorated on the 12th Submarine Flotilla memorials at Rothesay on the Isle of Bute and at Kylesku.