Sidney George Francis

A Lance Corporal with the 2nd Battalion, Sidney died on 26th of December 1916 at the age of 25. 

Sidney was born at Lowestoft in 1891, a son of George and Annie Francis. In 1901 his family lived at 17 Edinburgh Road. In 1904 Sidney became a pupil at Lowestoft School of Science. By 1911 his family were living at 211 London Road South and Sidney was an elementary school teacher and worked at Roman Hill School. 

In 1915 Sidney married Edith Sarah May Newson at Lowestoft. In 1917 she lived at Saint Margarets Garden, Beccles Road. 

Sidney enlisted in the Army at Lowestoft around July 1916. He joined the Suffolk Regiment, service number 33541. Around October 1916 he was transferred to the Essex Regiment, service number 41234, and posted to the 2nd Battalion in France, where he joined C Company.   

On 15 December 1916 Sidney was admitted to no 34 Casualty Clearing Station suffering from inflammation of connective tissue feet (trench-foot). The next day he was transferred to No 2 Ambulance Train.

Precisely what then happened to Sidney is difficult to determine. We know that he died at No 6 General Hospital, Rouen. Pension record card details state that he died of wounds, whereas Soldiers Died in the Great War states he ‘died’, implying that he died of disease or sickness.