Sidney Towlson Mayhew

A Private with the 1/1st Battalion, Sidney died on 31st of July 1917 at the age of 32.

Sidney was born at Norwich in 1886, a son of James and Rosa Mayhew. In 1891 his family lived at 11 Caernarvon Road, Norwich. By 1901 they were living at 14 New Market Street, Heigham, Norwich, and Sidney was a printer’s clerk. In 1911 they lived at 60 Newmarket Street, Norwich, and Sidney worked as an accountant’s clerk. 

In late 1911 Sidney married Alberta Mary Ann Beckett and they settled in Lowestoft. By 1917 Alberta was living at 162 High Street, Lowestoft, and later she lived at St Elmo, Carlton Road. 

Sidney enlisted in the Army at Bury St. Edmunds. He joined the Cambridgeshire Regiment, service number 7932. Sidney was posted to France to join the 1/1st Battalion and in early 1917 he was renumbered 329228. 

On 31 July 1917 the 1/1 Battalion began their advance as part of the Third Battle of Ypres. At 5.30 a.m. the battalion advanced and by 6.00 a.m. reached Wilson’s Farm and came under shell fire. At 6.15 a.m. they reached Boundary Road. By 7.45 a.m. they had reached Bellevue Farm and despite enemy shelling they had only sustained eight casualties. At 8.55 a.m. the advance resumed and about 9.15 a.m. the enemy shelling became much heavier. At 10 a.m. they reached Corner Cot under a very heavy high explosive barrage: at this point casualties numbered about 35. At 10.25 they crossed over the Hanebeek and now came under rifle fire. By 11 a.m. they were consolidating their positions, which included Border House. At 11.20 a.m. neighbouring battalions were seen to be retiring and, at 11.35 a.m., the battalion were ordered to make an attack to relieve the pressure on nearby units at St. Julien. The enemy counter-attacked ay 12.12 p.m. and this was repelled but was followed be another attack at 12.40 p.m. and at 1.15 p.m. a further enemy attack was made. The battalion was now running short of small arms ammunition. By this point the battalion’s casualties numbered about 10 officers and 135 men. Before 2 p.m. protective machine-gun and artillery barrages were laid down ahead of the battalion’s positions. At 4.10 p.m. and further enemy advance threatened to envelope the battalion and a hostile barrage was laid down. The battalion continued to hold their positions and by 6.15 p.m. the battalion’s losses were around 16 officers and 250 men. The situation was exacerbated because the British artillery were also firing on the battalion’s positions. Between 7 and 8 p.m. the battalion withdrew. 

The battalion’s casualties were:
Officers: six killed, two died of wounds, ten wounded
Other ranks: 30 killed, 26 missing, 2 wounded and missing, 215 wounded

Sidney was reported missing on 31 July and later presumed to have been killed in action on that date.