Sydney Pullen
Memorial: Pilning
Regiment: Machine Gun Corps
Medals: British War Medal, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Victory Medal
Rank and number: Private 39803
Parents: Thomas and Alice Pullen
Marital status: Single
Home address: 8 GWR Cottages, Green Lanes, Redwick, Bristol then The Shaft, Redwick and Northwick, Gloucestershire
Date of birth: 1897
Place of birth: Redwick, Gloucestershire
Date of death: 09/09/1917
Buried/Commemorated at: St Peter’s Churchyard (south east area), Pilning, Bristol
Age: 20
Further information:
Sydney was the son of Thomas and Alice Pullen. In the 1891 census Thomas Pullen, aged 38 years was a Railway Platelayer who was born at Cathay, Bristol, his wife, Alice was born in 1859 in Langridge, Somerset, the family were living at No. 8 GWR Cottages, Green Lanes, Redwick with their six children, Minnie (11), Alice (9), George (6), James (5) and Henry (3) all born in Bristol and Jane (1) born in Redwick. By the 1901 census the head of the household is given as Alice (aged about 42 years) a widow and a market gardener at The Shaft, Redwick and Northwick, Gloucestershire, with two additions, Sydney (4) and baby Kate (1) also born in Redwick
By 1911 widow Alice had remarried, her husband was George Chaney and Sydney, aged 14 years, was the only member of the Pullin children remaining at home
Sydney enlisted in Tonypandy in Wales in 1917, at the age of 20, (No. 8468) in the 2nd Reserve Cavalry Regiment, then transferred (No. 39803) to the Machine Gun Corps (Infantry). It is probable that Sydney was wounded and on recuperation leave at home in Pilning where he died on the 9th September 1917. He is buried in St Peter’s Churchyard, Pilning, Bristol
The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front. Prior to this date the tactical potential of machine guns was not appreciated by the British Military, each infantry battalion and cavalry regiment had a machine gun section of two guns each. It was decided that, to be fully effective, machine guns must be used in larger units and with specially trained men. In 1915 the MGC had Infantry, Cavalry and Motor branches, joined in 1916 by the Heavy Branch (the first to use tanks in combat, later becoming the Tank Corps). The MGC saw action in all the main theatres of war, in Europe, the Middle East and East Africa. It gained a record for heroism as a front line fighting force but a less enviable record for its casualty rate. Around 170,500 officers and men served in the MGC, 62,049 became casualties including 12,498 killed
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
Publication: Village Heroes. Pilning and Severn Beach History Group. Nancy Vowles and Val George researched and put together the information
CWGC and Forces War Records