Military History

Sidney is listed as being killed in action on 23rd October 1914. The 2nd Battalion war diary entries for the period 21st to 24th October are transcribed below.

21^st October 1914 - Zonnebeke: On the 21^st the battalion was ordered to advance at 8am and to gain the Zonnebeke-Langemarck road from which point it was to conform with converging attacks by the Irish Guards and the 3^rd Battalion Coldstream Guards on the right and left flanks respectively. Considerable opposition was met with, and by degrees the whole of the Battalion was absorbed in the firing line, but by 3pm the line of the road was gained through further advance was checked owing to the co-operating attacks being held up. This gave to a critical situation on our flanks and the Battalion was therefore ordered to fall back during the night to a line running Pt 4 S through Pt 34 in order to conform with the general line held by the remainder of the Brigade.

This operation was successfully carried out under cover of darkness and the Battalion entrenched a strong position which they held throughout the 22^nd and 23^rd under an exceedingly heavy fire (principally high explosions) from the enemy’s artillery.

The casualties of the Battalion were during the operations 21-23:
Officers 1 Killed, 1 wounded
Other Ranks 15 killed, 34 wounded & 4 missing

24^th October 1914 - Zonnebeke: About midnight 23-24 the Battalion was relieved by French troops and the Brigade marched to Zillebeke arriving about 4.30am. At 9.30am and the enemy to have broken through the 22^nd Brigade and the Brigade and hurriedly moved out and took up a covering position, covering the E edge of the village the report proved unfounded and the Brigade according moved to a position of readiness at Ecksternest, where troops billeted night of 24-25