Private 242572 Sidney Leonard Hughes

Died of Wounds on Thursday, 12th April 1917, age 19.
Buried in Grave VI. F. 4. at Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery, Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.

1st/5th Bn., King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regt.). 166th Brigade of 55th Division.

Son of Alfred Henry and Harriett Hughes, of 87 High St. Prince's End, Tipton, Staffs.
Born: Tipton, Enlisted: Tipton, Resident: Unknown.

First landed France & Flanders, post 31st December 1915.
Medal entitlement: British War Medal, Victory Medal.
Soldier's Papers at National Archives survived and transcribed.

Commemorated on the St. John's Memorial.
Commemorated here because he appears on a Tipton memorial.

Link to Commonwealth War Graves Site: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/138327/

Genealogical Data

1901 Census
42 Newhall Street, Prince's End, Tipton, Staffs.
Alfred Henry Hughes (32, Drawer at Brickworks, born Derby), his wife Harriett (28, born Tipton), and their 3 children: Thomas William (7, born Tipton), Sidney Leonard (3, born Tipton), and Alfred Henry (8 months, born Tipton).

1911 Census
87 High Street, Prince's End, Tipton, Staffs.
Alfred Henry Hughes (42, Shirt and Clothing Maker, born Derby), his wife Harriett (37, born Tipton), and their 5 surviving children of 7: Thomas William (17, Tailor's Cutter, born Tipton), Sidney Leonard (13, born Tipton), Gilbert (8, born Tipton), Rose (5, born Tipton), and Olive (1, born Tipton).

Personal Data

Sidney attested on 4th September 1917, he was 5 feet 4¾ inches tall, weighed 104 pounds with poor physical development, he had been employed as a clerk.

He joined the 75th Training Reserve, in December 1916 being based at Prees Heath. He overstayed what was to be his final leave from 10pm on 21st December to 2pm on 26th December 1916, in order to spend his final Christmas at home. His punishment was 7 days Confined to Barracks and 5 days loss of pay.

Sidney left Folkestone for Boulogne on 7th January 1917, joining the 1/5th King's Own (Royal Lancasters) on the 10th January. The 1/5th King's Own were in 166th Brigade of the 55th (West Lancashire) Division.

Action resulting in his death

The 55th Division spent most of 1917 in the Ypres Salient, their first major battle in 1917 was the Battle of Pilckem Ridge on 31st July 1917. In March 1917 they were in the Hill 60 sector in a salient with the enemy on three sides and under constant artillery fire.

During April 1917, 6 men from the 1/5th King's Own lost their lives. Sidney died of his wounds on 12th April 1917, and is buried in Vlamertinghe Military cemetery, 3 miles west of Ypres. During the early months of 1917, whenever it was possible, the 55th Division brought their dead from the front for burial here.

Newspaper Cuttings

Tipton Herald May 12th 1917
BLACK COUNTRY HERO.
Private S.L. Hughes, of the King's Own Royal Lancashire Regiment, was killed in action on April 12th. He was only 19 years of age, and was very highly respected in Princes End where he lived at 87 High St, Princes End. The late Private Hughes enlisted on September 5th of last year, and had been on active service three months. Before he joined the Army he was in the employ of the Birmingham Canal Company as a clerk, and his colleagues in that branch of commercial life greatly appreciated his many qualities.