Private Sydney Herbert Sims
1st Royal Marine Battalion, Royal Naval Division
Killed in Action
Date of Birth: 20 July 1898
Place of Birth: East Teignmouth, Devon
Date of Death: 25 August 1918 aged 21
Buried: Remembered on Vis-en-Artois Memorial, France; Seafront Memorial and St. Michael’s Church Memorial, Teignmouth, Devon
Awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal
Private Sydney Herbert Sims age 21.
Born 20 July 1898 in East Teignmouth the youngest son of Richard, a cabinet maker, and Annie Sims of 51 Northumberland Place.
Both the 1901 and 1911 census showed him living with his parents and siblings at Northumberland Place.
Sydney enlisted at Exeter on 27 February 1917 with the Royal Marines, and trained in Deal, Kent, until May when he was transferred to Plymouth Division, Royal Marine Brigade,service number PLY/ 1983, on 1 July 1917.
Royal Marines Light Infantry Cap Badge
He joined 2nd Royal Marine Battalion on 2 September and was serving in France until 26 September 1917 when he received shrapnel wounds to his left shoulder whilst in action at Ypres.
He was invalided to UK on 1 November. Sydney re-joined 2nd R M Battalion in April 1918, transferring to 1st R M Battalion on 28 April 1918, where he remained until 22 June when he contracted influenza and was invalided home.
He re-joined 1st Royal Marine Battalion, Royal Naval Division, Royal Marine Light Infantry, on 23 August 1918; two days later Sydney was killed in action on 25 August 1918 in the Havrincourt area. Buried 7¾ miles WSW of Cambrai at the time, but later the grave was not found. Remembered on Vis-en-Artois Memorial, France; Seafront Memorial and St. Michael's Church Memorial, Teignmouth.
His two brothers were serving with Devonshire Regiment.
"He assisted his father in his business prior to joining the marines on reaching 18." Teignmouth Post - 6 September
