Name
Sidney John Lovell
8 February 1899
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
26/04/1918
19
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
G/75896
London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers)
2nd/2nd (City of London) Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
CROUY BRITISH CEMETERY, CROUY-SUR-SOMME
I. E. 6.
France
Headstone Inscription
SON OF J.E. LOVELL 80 HIGH STREET HEMEL HEMPSTEAD, HERTS.
UK & Other Memorials
Hemel Hempstead Town Memorial, St Mary's Church Memorial, Hemel Hempstead
Pre War
Sidney John Lovell was born on 8 February 1899 in Hemel Hempstead, the son of James and Emily Lovell, and was baptised at St Mary's Church, Hemel Hempstead on 1 March. He was the ninth of of eleven children but four had died before the 1911 Census.
On the 1901 Census the family were living at 2 Chapel Street, Hemel Hempstead where his father was working as a Boot and Shoe Maker. By the time of the 1911 Census they had moved to 80 High Street, Hemel Hempstead and his father remained as a Boot Maker and Sidney was a 12 year old schoolboy.
Wartime Service
Sidney was too young to enlist at the outbreak of war, but when he reached the age of 18 he went to Watford to enlist in February 1917, joining the Royal West Surrey Regiment. After basic training he was sent to France on 20 March 1918, where he was posted to the 2nd Battalion, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers), which had suffered heavy losses and needed to build up its fighting strength. He was part of a draft of 114 men which joined the Battalion at Besme, 2 miles south of St Quentin.
On 23 April Sidney saw his first serious action during the Battle for Villers-Bretonneux which was re-captured and the allied line re-established by late evening, however there were many casualties and Sidney was mortally wounded. He died of his injuries on 26 April 1918, aged 19, and had only been in France for 38 days.
He is buried in Crouy British Cemetery, Somme, France.
Additional Information
His father received a war gratuity of £4 10s and pay owing of £5 1s 2d. His mother received a pension of 5 shillings a week.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild, www.hemelheroes.com. www.hemelatwar.org.
