Westmore was born on the
Isle of Wight, off the southern coast of England. On 6 November 1899, he signed up for
British Army service, requesting to be placed in the cavalry. He served with the
16th The Queen's Lancers in the
Second Boer War. He was discharged from service on 22 April 1901, at the rank of Private, having been found medically unfit for further service. His character description at the time described him as "Very good, trustworthy and obliging man" and "a first rate hairdresser, has been in charge of the regimental shop". He had served in the army for one year and 168 days. He also became a hairdresser to the
Court of St. James's. He emigrated to Canada, and invented the hair-lace wig. He was responsible for creating Mary Pickford's signature curls, and fake ones so that she didn't need to curl them each morning, ==Legacy==