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Sidney Ancterbury Smith
British Army 11th Btn. Welsh Regiment
from:Banham, Norfolk
Sidney Smith was the second eldest in a large family in Banham, Norfolk. By the start of World War 1, he was living in Cardiff, aged 27. I know little much more about him, other than that my aunts used to refer to the fact that he was in the army and fought in the Battle of Gallipoli in 1915.
However, I have 2 very interesting postcards in the old family papers, sent to his sister Ruby, in Stowmarket, and his mother Elizabeth in Banham. Sidney is fourth from the right, front row. They are dated 5th of October 1914. So it appears he volunteered immediately war was declared in August 1914, and by 25th of September 1914 this picture was taken of his platoon, still in civvies, just over a month after the beginning of the war. You can see from the picture, they volunteered as the Cardiff Commercial Pals Battalion. And from the note to Ruby, that was officially the 14th Platoon, D Company, 11th Battalion, Welsh Regiment, then at Seaford on the South Coast near Brighton. And he says "Expected to move in about 10 days, destination in London."
I know that Sidney fought at Gallipoli, but nothing as to whether he stayed out there until the end. I do not believe he was injured, but was said to suffer from poor health after his return home until he died in 1944 aged only 56. That may have been connected with mustard gas used in those battles, but I do not know that for certain.
