Sidney William Cole

A Private with the 11th Battalion, Sidney died on 26th of August 1917 at the age of 23. 

Sidney was born at Ashby, near Somerleyton, in 1894, a son of John and Alice Cole. He was baptised at Saint Mary’s Church, Ashby, on 26 August 1894. In 1901 his family lived ‘near Hill Farm’, Ashby. By 1911 his father had died, and his mother had married Charles Howes, and the family lived at The Retreat, Somerleyton, and Sidney worked as a carpenter. Later his mother lived at 4 West Road, Westcliffe-on-Sea.

Sidney volunteered and enlisted in the Army at Lowestoft in autumn 1914. He joined the Suffolk Regiment, service number 1434, and was posted to the 6th (Cyclist) Battalion. He was then posted to the 4th Battalion, in France, and renumbered 43400, before being posted to the 11th Battalion. By August 1917 Sidney was attached to the 101st Trench Mortar Battery.

No definite details of what happened to Sidney can be found. On 26 August 1917, 101 Trench Mortar Battery were giving support to the 101st Brigade attack at Quarry, near Bellicourt. The war diary for the Headquarters of 101 Infantry Brigade states that the various objectives were obtained but there had been many casualties from enemy shell-fire. Sidney was killed in action on 26 August.