Sidney George Long
Memorial: Thornbury - St Mary's Church
Regiment: York and Lancaster
Medals: British War Medal, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Victory Medal
Rank and number: Private 19688 (formerly 17973 King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry)
Parents: Robert and Clara Long
Marital status: Single
Home address: Buckover, Thornbury, Bristol
Pre-war occupation: Nail Machinist at a nailworks 1911
Date of birth: 1890
Place of birth: Milbury Heath, Thornbury, Bristol
Date of death: 11/04/1918
Buried/Commemorated at: Tyne Cot Memorial (Panel 125 to 128.); Thornbury United Reformed Church Memorial Tablet
Age: 28
Further information:
Bronze Tablet and Wooden Memorial Board
Sidney George Long was baptised in Thornbury in March 1890, the second child of Robert and Clara Long. He had four brothers and a sister. The family lived variously at Milbury Heath and Buckover, other addresses in Thornbury town, and briefly in Coleford. In 1911 the family was residing at Rogerstone in Monmouthshire. Sidney was employed as a nail machinist at a nailworks
Sidney enlisted in Ynishir, Glamorgan, as Private 17973, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. However at the time of his death he was serving in the 1st/5th Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment, 49th (West Riding) Division
The German Spring Offensive of 1918 was the final attempt to break the Allied lines around Ypres, designed to win the war before the increasing number of American troops in France could enter the fighting. The second phase of this offensive could only start in April at the earliest due to the high winter water table of the River Lys. The ground would not begin to dry out until the spring weather arrived. Fought between the 7th and 29th April, this was known on the Allied side as the Fourth Battle of Ypres, or the Battles of the Lys. The enemy pushed the Allies back, regaining all the land lost previously in the Battles of Messines and Passchendaele in 1917 and more. Despite huge numbers of casualties, the Allies eventually stabilized the front and by 29th April the enemy’s plans had ended in failure
During this offensive, on the 11th April, the Germans captured Messines. The British situation was desperate. Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force, issued a Special Order of the Day, an extract of which reads,’ Words fail me to express the admiration which I feel for the splendid resistance offered by all ranks of our Army under the most trying circumstances. Many amongst us now are tired. To those I would say that Victory will belong to the side which holds out the longest. The French Army is moving rapidly and in great force to our support. There is no other course open to us but to fight it out. Every position must be held to the last man: there must be no retirement. With our backs to the wall and believing in the justice of our cause each one of us must fight on to the end. The safety of our homes and the Freedom of mankind alike depend upon the conduct of each one of us at this critical moment’
Sidney was Killed in Action on this day. He has no known grave and is remembered with honour on the Tyne Cot Memorial
At least four Long brothers served in the army. Sidney, Ernest and William are remembered together on this memorial, the greatest loss of any family in Thornbury. Their younger brother Harold was in action as a Lance Corporal with the 5th Glosters
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
Thornbury Roots Website. Thornbury and District Museum Research Group. Forces War Records and the CWGC