Son of Xavier Pilon and Florence McCullough, James Pilon was born in L’Orignal March 1, 1923.

In 1941, at the age of 18, he enlisted in the Canadian Army. From Ottawa, he was transferred to the Maritimes. Coastal defense and surveillance of ammunition dumps were of great importance as the threat of German submarines was felt even in Canada. James served in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland.

At the end of the war, he returned to L’Orignal and married Thérèse Larocque. He also resumed his old trade as a blacksmith with Ubald Latreille. At that time, the L’Orignal blacksmith shop was located on Alfred Street (now Bay Road) next to a sawmill. Neither of those buildings still remains, having been destroyed by fire.

Later, James Pilon worked as a miner in Kilmar. In 1955, he obtained a position as a guard at the L’Orignal Jail where he worked for almost 14 years.

James died in 1969 at the age of 46.