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, We are not aware of any Poynders End memorials
Pre War
Sidney Sharp was born Sidney Peacock in 1885 in Breachwood Green, Kings Walden, and christened with that name on 30 August 1885 in Kings Walden. His mother, Emily Peacock, married Herbert Sharp on 23 January 1886 and is very likely that he was Sidney’s father. Herbert was a forester for the Stagenhoe estate. Sidney 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. Present were parents Herbert (25) and Emily (25), and their children Sydney H Sharp (6), Annie J (3) and Ada L (1).
They remained there in 1901 when both Herbert and Sidney, now 16, were working as ordinary agricultural labourers. Both parents were listed as were all the above children. They had been joined by new siblings Clara (6), Percy James (3) and Wilfred (1).
Sidney married Annie Moules in late summer 1910, but she died early in 1911 after only eighteen weeks of marriage and so by the 1911 census he was a widower, and living in his parents’ home. Which by then was Chequers Lane, Preston near Hitchin. Both parents were present, Herbert still a farm labourer, as was Sidney. The census recorded that his parents had been married for 25 years with 10 children, of whom 1 had died. Of those, Sidney, Clara and Percy were present, along with Reginal Frederick (8), Lawrence Herbert (5) and Walter Horace George (3).
Before enlisting he had been a horse keeper for Mt Fenwick of Preston; “He was well known throughout the district, and was well liked by a great many for his nice Manner.”
The Soldiers Died In The Great War (SDITGW) database records that he was born in Breachwood Green and was living in Preston when he enlisted in Hitchin.
His parents later lived at 11 Council Cottages, Chequers Lane, Preston and then Poynders End.
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.
The first news of his death came via his brother-in-law private Leonard Chas. Smith, who was in the same regiment and was received on 10 August 1916.
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,
