The Wartime Memories Project - The Great War

Pte. Sidney Earnest Earley British Army 2nd Btn. D Company Hampshire Regiment


Great War>


This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies.


If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.



    Site Home

    Great War Home

    Search

    Add Stories & Photos

    Library

    Help & FAQs

 Features

    Allied Army

    Day by Day

    RFC & RAF

    Prisoners of War

    War at Sea

    Training for War

    The Battles

    Those Who Served

    Hospitals

    Civilian Service

    Women at War

    The War Effort

    Central Powers Army

    Central Powers Navy

    Imperial Air Service

    Library

    World War Two

 Submissions

    Add Stories & Photos

    Time Capsule

 Information

    Help & FAQs



    Glossary

    Our Facebook Page

    Volunteering

    News

    Events

    Contact us

    Great War Books

    About


Advertisements

World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment

216936

Pte. Sidney Earnest Earley

British Army 2nd Btn. D Company Hampshire Regiment

from:Winchester

(d.5th Feb 1915)

Hamphire Privates Sad Death.

The ranks of D Company, 2nd Battalion, Hampshire Regiment, have been deprived by death of a genial, virile, and popular comrade in Private Sydney E. Earley, whose home was at Winchester. Earley came to Stratford with the battalion about a month ago, and was quartered in Bridge-street. His vivacious nature quickly won him friends among the civil population, and sporting proclivities led to his being selected captain of the victorious Hants.’XI, which recently engaged Stratford in a football match on Pearcecroft. The weather of the past month, trying as it has been to those accustomed to the vagaries of our climate, has proved infinitely more so to soldiers lately quartered under Indian Skies, and Earley was among the many members of the battalion who contracted chills of a more or less acute type.

On the 20th of last month his condition was such that it was deemed advisable to remove him to the Town Hall Hospital, where unremitting care and attention were at his disposal. He failed to rally, and death ensued on Friday from a malignant form of pneumonia. Late in the evening the body was removed to the mortuary near the Parish Church, and the interment took place on Saturday afternoon. Many years have rolled by since a military funeral of similar proportions was witnessed in the borough. At the cemetery gates the coffin was taken from the transport and borne shoulder-high to the grave, the Vicar and Rural Dean being at the head of the procession. The long line of khaki was relieved only by the bright hues of the flag of liberty and justice and the sorrowing figures clad in the habiliments of mourning. At the close of the service three volleys rang out from the rifles of the firing party, and the bugler sounded “ The Last Post” as a tribute to their departed comrade. In addition to the floral tributes from the family, handsome wreaths were sent by Major Beckwith and Lieutenant White; the commandants, sisters, and staff of the Town Hall Hospital; “M.,” his friend “D” Company, 2nd Battalion Hampshire Regiments; sergeants of “D” Company; and his comrades in platoon number 16. The coffin was of polished elm, and the breastplate bore the inscription; “Sydney E. Earley No. 8014, 2nd Hampshire Regt., died February 5th. 1915, aged 27 years.” The funeral arrangements were in the hands of Mr. H. Humphreys.

Stratford-upon-Avon Herald 12th February 1915

A Soldier's Memorial.

Messrs. Taylor and son, of this town, have recently executed and erected in the Borough Cemetery a memorial to Private Sidney Ernest Earley, of the 2nd Battalion Hampshire Regiment, who died on February 5th while billeted in Stratford. It was partly subscribed by deceased’s comrades, and will perpetuate the memory of one of the most cheerful and genial of soldiers. A headstone of Gothic design, the memorial is executed in Forest of Dean stone, a deeply moulded edge terminating in ivy leaves. Cleverly carved in the centre is the regimental crest, consisting of a tiger, Tudor rose, and laurel wreath.

Stratford-upon-Avon Herald









Related Content:







Can you help us to add to our records?

The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them


Did your relative live through the Great War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial?

If so please let us know.

Do you know the location of a Great War "Roll of Honour?"

We are very keen to track down these often forgotten documents and obtain photographs and transcriptions of the names recorded so that they will be available for all to remember.

Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice.




Celebrate your own Family History

Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Great War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc.

Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.














The free section of The Wartime Memories Project is run by volunteers.

This website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions.

If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running.


Hosted by:

The Wartime Memories Project Website

is archived for preservation by the British Library





Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV
- All Rights Reserved -

We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.