Born in Derby in around 1890 to Samuel and Alice, Samuel Siddon was the couple’s fourth surviving child and third son. The couple also had four other sons and three daughters, making a large household of ten all told. In 1901 the family were living in Stanley, Derbyshire where Samuel Snr was a Colliery Deputy, and eldest sons Thomas and William also worked in the Colliery. Samuel Jr was 12, and not yet working.
On 31st July 1909, Samuel married Gertrude Chapman in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, the ceremony being conducted by Father Wyatt and on 6th May 1910 their first child Albert was born, followed by a daughter on 2nd November 1911.
At the time of the next census in April 1911, the couple and Albert are living with Gertrude’s parents Thomas and Tamar and their family at 56 Mill Street, Ilkeston. Despite being Thomas and Tamar’s Son-in-Law and Grandson, Samuel and Albert are listed as ‘Boarder’ on the census. Thomas, his son (Samuel’s Brother in Law) Thomas and Samuel are all working as miners.
Samuel’s attestation sheet, which shows when he joined the army is too badly faded to make out, but other sheets in his paperwork show that he joined the army around 6th November 1914, and the family lived at 54 Doncaster Road, Denaby. Samuel is listed as being a collier and measured up at 5’7inches, weighing 135lb (9st 9lb).
The Conisbrough and Denaby 100 Project
Samuel Siddon
Samuel in the 1901 Census
It isn’t too long before Samuel starts to accrue punishments for misdemeanours generally to do with overstaying his pass (being late back to barracks) and an event of drunkenness in barracks. He is regularly forfeited pay and confined to barracks for a number of days in punishment, having at one time been arrested by ‘civil powers’ and returned to barracks for overstaying his pass in August 1915.
On 3rd February 1916 he was posted to the 10th Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment and then was promoted to Corporal in March 1917. His paperwork shows a couple more events of overstaying a furlough or being absent from a Tattoo, but nothing which gained him more punishment than being ‘severely reprimanded’ and on 14th September 1917 Samuel was posted to the 3rd Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment, as a Corporal. One of these punishments was following a furlough (period of leave) which was granted to him in July 1917, during which time he was to be staying with Gertrude at their home in Denaby, and after which he was one day and fifteen minutes late.
More serious offences were to follow however and on 27th November he is noted as having ‘Deserted’, and he ‘Rejoined from desertion’ on 30th December 1917; an absence of 33 days.
He was duly arrested, and tried.
Samuel’s trial found him not guilty of desertion, but guilty instead of absence without leave, for which the punishment was less severe. Samuel was demoted to Private and was detained for 28 days, on the 14th January 1918. He rejoined the battalion on 17th January 1918.
"...under a splendid creeping barrage the battalion moved forwards..."
Samuel’s paperwork shows that on 12th March 1918 he deserted again, this time rejoining the battalion on 24th June; an absence of 104 days. Once more, he was found not guilty of desertion but instead guilty of absence without leave. He was this time sentenced to 56 days detention, running from 1st July however on 23rd July, just three weeks later his paperwork shows that the remainder of his sentence was remitted by the Commandant. During all of this time, Samuel was in England at the Barracks in Derby, having returned from France in May 1917.
A slip in his paperwork shows that at some point after 1915, his ‘use’ was amended to be ‘Fit for Command Depot’, rather than being fit for active service, suggesting perhaps an illness or injury of some type, a theory possibly backed up by records showing two events of being admitted to hospital in spring 1915, although the illness is sadly illegible.
On 21st August 1918, he was posted to the 2nd Battalion and sent to France. On Wednesday 18th September 1918, they were north west of St Quentin, and the battalion war diary entry for that date states;
“At 5:20am under a splendid creeping barrage the battalion moved forward to the attack on enemy positions. The entire objectives allotted to the battalion, and named the Green Line, being the line of Douai trench, Champagne Trench and Fresnoy Trench, running through M.33b and d and M27b and d, were captured by the leading companies C & D at 6:30am. At 10am a determined enemy counter attack was delivered by the enemy fom the direction of Fresnoy Cemetery and Wood. This counter attack succeeded in driving our left company back into Champagne Trench. Mainly on account of casualties suffered during the advance, the left company was too weak to counter attack. From the junction of Champagne Trench and Bugeaud Alley, the Green Line southwards was held and consolidated. As a result of these operations about 50 prisoners were captured and many enemy dead left.”
The diary also notes that the battalion’s casualties were two officers wounded, one missing, three killed, 27 other ranks killed, 140 wounded and 43 missing. Samuel was one of those 27. He was awarded the British and Victory medals, meaning that he did not see overseas service before 1916 (he has not received the 1914/15 Star medal).
Samuel is buried in Chapelle British Cemetery, Holnon and we visited him in 2015.
Samuel's grave and tribute
Chapelle British Cemetery, Holnon
Samuel in the 1911 Census