Born: 1897, Eccleshill
Died: 23 July 1916, Somme
Buried: Guillaime Communal Cemetery, Normandy
Address: 8 Mount Avenue, Eccleshill
Parents: Charles Arthur and Ruth Ann, nee Wilkinson
Spouse:
Siblings: Lorna
Occupation: Boot department, Eccleshill Co-operative
Organisations/clubs: Eccleshill Congregational Sunday School
Military
Rank: Pte
Medals/awards:
Rolls of Honour: Eccleshill, Park and St Luke’s
Children:
Regiment:West Yorkshire
Sydney Holdsworth
Sydney Holdsworth was born in 1897
the son of Ecclshill native Charles
Arthur Holdsworth and Ruth Anna, nee
Wilkinson who came fromWibsey.
In 1901 the family were living at 18
Stonehall Place, Eccleshill and two
children had been born, Lorna and
Sydney.
Charles died in 1905 aged 37 years and
Ruth and her family went to live with
her sister-in-law at 1 Undercliffe Road,
Eccleshill. Sydney at the age of 14 years was
working as a doffer in the wool warehouse of
Messrs. L and A Firth, Mill Street, Bradford.
He enlisted on the 16th of October
1915 as Private 20/11 in the 12th
Battalion of the West Yorkshire
Regiment (Prince of Wales Own). He
gave his address as 8 Mount Avenue.
Very little is known about Sydney but
he took part in the Battle of the
Somme. The West Riding Regt. was
involved in the Battle of Bazentin
Ridge from the 14th to the 17th of
July 1916 so it is likely that he was
fighting there.
He received severe gunshot wounds to his arm,
back and leg and died of his wounds on the 23rd
of July 1916 in the General Hospital at Rouen.
He was 19 years of age.
He is buried in a double grave at the Bois-
Guillaume Communal Cemetery in Normandy
which contains 160 double graves.
He left his effects to his mother Ruth who
received £2.8.6d on the 11th of October 1916
and a War Gratuity of £3.0.0d on the 31st
October 1919.
.
Researched and written by Jean
Britteon, to whom many thanks
On 2 June 1916, the Shipley Times
& Express published a letter
Sydney had written to a friend:
I am in the trenches for the second
time when writing you this letter
The first day we went in, three of
our men were killed and several
wounded but I came through safely.
There was only one thing I was a
bit timid about and that was a kind
of bomb which is 18 inches long
and about a foot wide. The cast is
of tin and this is filled with all
kinds of old iron. These burst with
a loud report and often cause much
damage.
The first time we saw one of these
coming we got out of its way as
quickly as possible and in doing so
ran into another but fortunately for
us the second was a “dud”.
Withering fire
On the morning we were relieved
we had a short engagement which
lasted about half an hour. The
Germans intended reaching our
lines but when they were scaling
their parapet we poured a withering
fire into them and most of them
dropped. Whatever move they
intended making was nipped in the
bud.
Our rest camp is not within reach of
a YMCA but I am looking forward
with pleasure to paying another
visit to one of these delightful
centres of recreation.
I am still in the best of health and
having a fairly good time of it.
Sydney was in the newspaper again
on 4 August 1916, one of a large
number of local men who were
casualties of the Somme
Pte Sydney Holdsworth, 12 West
Yorks, of 6 Mount Avenue,
Eccleshill, has been killed. He is an
only son and was previously
employed in the Co-operative Boot
Department at Eccleshill. He has
seen service in the trenches and in
his latest communication to a friend
intimated that he was undergoing
severe training to be ready for open
warfare.
