Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

FIELD, Sydney 340 PTE. 23rd Battalion 1891-1940

Sydney Field was the third son of John Thomas Field b 1852 of Chequers Manor, Buckinghamshire, England and his wife Ellen Mealing (1866-1911).

His five siblings were:

                                     Francis John Field b 1883
                                    Georgina  Field b 1886
                                    William Henry Field b 1889
                                    John Charles Field b 1893
                                    Molly b Field 1897

Sydney’s uncle John (b 1846) emigrated to Australia in 1865 and settled at Boho, south of Violet Town. As he was growing up in England Sydney corresponded regularly with John.  Meanwhile John had married Jane White, clan of William and Elizabeth White of Stony Creek, and was farming at Boho. So when Sydney emigrated to Australia he lived with John and Elizabeth at Rosebank, one of their Boho properties.

Sydney and partner Mr Freeman operated a butcher shop in Cowslip Street Violet Town.  He also purchased a property which came to be known as Aldersyde, a property in Boho which James and Ida Burden bought in 1935. They built a house there and the family still own and work the property. Ida was a granddaughter of John Field; her mother was his daughter Clara who married Duncan McDiarmid. It is interesting to note that John Field installed the impressive Honour Board which dominates the east wall of the Violet Town Memorial Hall.

According to his service records Sydney enlisted in Melbourne on 22 February 1915 aged 24. Shortly after on 8 May, he embarked on Euripidies bound for Alexandria in Egypt. The 23rd Battalion fought at Lone Pine on the Gallipoli Peninsula so one can only assume that this is where Sydney, on 5 September, had his hands burnt, badly enough to be invalided to a hospital at Mudros. After five weeks he was fit enough to return to his unit. Following the retreat from Gallipoli the 23rd Battalion returned to Egypt where Sydney was again hospitalised, this time with mumps.

The battalion was next in line on 10 April when it occupied forward trenches of the Armentieres Sector in Northern France. Once again we have to assume that Sydney was there as his service records state the he had left Egypt for Marseilles in March. In September the following year he had 15 days leave.  Did he remain with the 23rd Battalion during the horrific battles of Pozieres and Mouquet Farm? His service records only state that he had two periods of leave in September 1917 and January 1918.

On 25 May 1919 he returned to Australia aboard Port Macquarie. On the way home he was admitted to the ship’s hospital with a septic sore. 

After his discharge from duty on 25 July 1919 Sydney sold his land to a Mr Mitchell.  His plans were to settle back in England. He married Ena Phyllis Coltman (1903-1968). They lived in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire where they raised two children, Joan Monica (1925-1987) and John who was born in 1930.  

Tree No 27 planted in 1917 by J Lowry. In 2013 Ceratonia siliqua - Carob - was planted in his memory. © Sheila Burnell