Name
Sidney Sharp
1885
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
30/07/1916
31
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
20818
Bedfordshire Regiment
2nd Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
Pier and Face 2C
France
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
Hitchin Town Memorial, St Mary's Church Roll of Honour (Book), Hitchin, Parchment in St Martin's Church, Preston, Plaque in St Martin's Church, Preston, Not on the Breachwood Green memorials
Pre War
Sidney Sharp was born in 1885 in Breachwood Green, Kings Walden, the son of Herbert Sharp (a forester for the Stagenhoe estate) and Emily Peacock. His birth was registered and he was baptised as Sidney Peacock on 30 August 1885 at Kings Walden as his parents did not marry until 23 January 1886. He was the first of ten children.
On the 1891 Census the family were living at Back Lane, Preston, Hitchin, Herts where his father was working as a General Labourer and his mother was a Straw Plaiter. They remained there in 1901 and Sidney was then working as an Agricultural Labourer.
He married Annie Moules in late summer 1910, but she died early in 1911 after only eighteen weeks of marriage and on the 1911 Census he was described as a widower, living at Chequers Lane, Preston with his family and working as a farm labourer.
His parents later lived at 11 Council Cottages, Chequers Lane, Preston.
Wartime Service
Sidney enlisted in Hitchin and was allocated the Regimental Number 20818 and posted to the 2nd Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment. He went to France on the 20 February 1916 and arrived to several days of snow and frost.
The 2nd Battalion was part of 89 Brigade, 30th Division of XIII Corps and Sidney was killed in action on 30 July 1916 during the attack on Maltz Horn Farm Ridge near Trones Wood. The 89th Brigade was on the right and attacked at 4.45am from trenches south of Trones Wood. It was a foggy day and the fighting was confused, but the Bedfords killed 70 to 80 Germans in one trench alone, however, their casualties for the day were 186 other ranks killed, injured or missing of which Sidney was one.
He has no known grave, but his name is commemorated on Pier and Face 2C of the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing in France.
Additional Information
His parents jointly received a war gratuity of £5 15s 5d and pay owing of 15s 7d. His mother also received a pension of 5s 6d a week.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Adrian Dunne, David C Baines, Philip Wray - www.prestonherts.co.uk/page137.html, Jonty Wild,
