Sidney George Box

Memorial: South Gloucestershire war dead not on a local memorial

Regiment: Royal Garrison Artillery

Medals: 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Silver War Badge, Victory Medal

Rank and number: Gunner 32422

Parents: Fanny and George Box and step father Thomas White

Home address: Marshfield

Pre-war occupation: Farm Carter

Date of birth: 08/09/1890

Place of birth: Colerne, Gloucestershire

Date of death: 10/03/1915

Buried/Commemorated at: No known burial site. Commemorated at Le Touret Memorial, Pas de Calais, France. Not commemorated on a local Memorial.

Age: 24

Further information:

Sidney was born in Colerne, Gloucestershire, the son of a labourer and the youngest child of seven children. His father died when he was 12 months old and his mother married Thomas White a farm carter in 1893. Sidney subsequently had two half-sisters and a half-brother.

Sidney enlisted in the 5th Mountain Battery, Royal Artillery for a short term in 1909 and was still in the services in 1911. He left and was called up in December 1914 when he was described as 5' 8 ¼ " tall and weighing 10st 12lb with brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion. Sidney was posted to France with his battery and was killed less than three months after arriving. He was killed in action on the first day of The Battle of Neuve Chapelle (10–13 March 1915). The battle was a British victory that resulted in 13,000 allied casualties. Sidney's body was never identified and the Le Touret Memorial where he is remembered, commemorates over 13,400 British soldiers who were killed in that sector of the Western Front from the beginning of October 1914 to the eve of the Battle of Loos in late September 1915 and who have no known grave.

By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):

This information has been provided by Sarah Hands, Volunteer Researcher for the South Gloucestershire War Memorials Web Site.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
https://www.cwgc.org/
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/