Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.125 | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Education & Career :
Sculptor, Plymouth (1901).
Stonecutter, St. Austell (1906).
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 2nd Battalion The Devonshire Regiment |
2nd Battalion August 1914 : in Cairo, Egypt. Returned to England 1 October 1914 and attached to 23rd Brigade in 8th Division. 6 November 1914: landed at Le Havre. |
| Action : The First Battles of the Somme 1918 and associated actions |
21 March - 4 July 1918. The Battles of the Somme in 1918 were mostly concerned with stemming the German advance which started in March 1918 and which made considerable gains in the Somme/Arras sector. Utilising surplus troops which had become available following the surrender of Russia after the October Revolution, the Germans gambled on a massive campaign that could win the war in the west before the USA could bring its resources to bear. Initial gains were in places spectacular but eventually dogged resistance coupled with supply problems and sheer exhaustion closed down the battle. Other attacks were launched along the front to probe the Allied defences but the same pattern of initial gains followed by stalemate prevailed. British casualties were almost 345,000.
Detail :
"The German offensive on 21st March 1918 found the 2nd Devons in reserve. Rushed to Peronne, on the 24th and 25th they held off several German attacks, suffering 322 casualties before conducting a fighting withdrawal covered by their field gunners. On 27th May at Bois de Buttes their Brigade was overwhelmed by a huge German attack and, to buy time for the rest of the Corps, the 2nd Devons stood and fought. This action cost the 551 killed and missing. Among those killed was their Colonel. To recognise their courage the French awarded the Regiment the Croix de Guerre, whose ribbon all Devons wore on their sleeve."
Commonwealth War Graves: HILL, Pte. Sidney Thoms, 25109, 2nd Bn Devonshire Regt. 25th March 1918. Buried at Pozieres Cemetery.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Dundas No. 1255 E.C. | Devonshire |
| Joined : | Peace and Harmony No. 496 E.C. | Cornwall |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
15th April 1901 | 20th May 1901 | 17th June 1901 |
Joining Member of Peace and Harmony Lodge on 11th December 1906, having resigned from his mother lodge in October of the same year. In the register of Peace and Harmony it shows "Killed in Action May 1918".
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley