Peter Wise and Brenda McMahon have submitted the following:-
Sydney the son of Edward and Margaret (nee Brown) was born at Barnard Castle on September 21st 1888 and was baptised the following 26 December. The couple had seven children together but sadly 2 died.
In 1891 the family were living at 12 Marshall Street Barnard Castle. His father, Edward, worked as a rural postman. Sydney’s siblings were all sisters, that is Mary, Margaret and Elizabeth. He was the couple’s only son.
By 1901 Edward was a cordwainer whilst his daughter, Margaret, worked as a dressmaker. Yet another sister, Eva, had arrived in 1893.
1911 saw the family had lessened as the girls had moved on and probably married. Sydney was working for the railway company and his sister, Eva, was in general service.
His father died in 9 February 1912.
Before the war Sydney had been a ticket collector at Crook Railway station with North Eastern Railways. He volunteers for war service very soon after war broke out and enlisted into the 10th Durham Light Infantry on August 12th 1914.
On his enlistment at Bishop Auckland the record shows him to be 5’6” tall, with grey eyes and light brown hair. His faith was Church of England. He made a soldier’s will leaving all his possessions to his mother, Margaret.
He was posted to France on May 19th 1915 and within a few weeks was promoted to sergeant.
He was killed in action near Ypres on July 20th 1915 and was buried at the 43rd Brigade cemetery.
Lieutenant J.B. Rosher wrote to his mother :-
“I knew so well what a splendid fellow he was as he had been in my machine gun section for so long. Always cheery under the most adverse circumstances and always ready to help in every way possible. He is a great loss to my section and I feel that his loss is a very personal one. We have worked the gun together several times and I have had many opportunities to of admiring his coolness and courage.”Information from De Ruvignys Roll of Honour.
Teesdale Mercury28/07/1915 reports:-
“It is with great sorrow that I write these few lines to you to tell you that poor Sid has been shot through the lungs with a piece of shell. They got him into bed and he lived a little while. It is very sad, such a fine fellow.”
In Memoriam:
“Sergeant Sydney Stoddart, killed 20/05/1915 at Ypres.
However, the Commonwealth War Graves and Army Records gives the date of his death as 20/07/1915 and the Teesdale Mercury article reporting that Sid's parents had received a letter reporting his death was published on 28 July.)
Sidney Stoddart is remembered in Barnard Castle on B135.02, B135.23 and B135.25
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 188
