GILBERT, Sydney James
| Service Number: | 3390 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 16 November 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 48th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | St Peters, Adelaide, South Australia , date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | St Peters (SA), Norwood Payneham St Peters, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Hairdresser |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Passchendaele, Belgium, 12 October 1917, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Passchendaele, New British Cemetery Passchendaele New British Cemetery, Passchendaele, Flanders, Belgium, Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood, Zonnebeke, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, St Peters Heroes War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Nov 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3390, 48th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Oct 1917: | Involvement Private, 3390, 48th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3390 awm_unit: 48 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1917-10-12 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Adelaide Botanic High School
Sydney James Gilbert was born in 1890 in St Peters, Norwood Payneham - South Australia. Prior to serving in the war, Sydney worked as a hairdresser. There is not much information as to Sydney's family, but we do know from his enlistment form that his next of kin was his mother Ms Gilbert, and he was not married.
At the age of 26 in 16th Nov 1916, Despite Sydney having no previous military service, he applied to join the A.I.F. Sydney had the physical characteristics of the average Australian man, standing at 5’5ft, with brown hair and eyes weighing 135lb or 61.2kg.
3 months after enlisting to the war, Sydney embarked from Adelaide in 10/2/1917 on board the HMAT A48 SEANG-BEE to Devonport after 81 days and then moving onwards onto England and France. Whilst on the Seang-Bee, Sydney was admitted to the hospital on the ship for 2 days, however, the reason as for why remains unknown.
Sydney's service number was 3390 and he was initially appointed to the 2nd Depot Battalion (the depots were facilities used to collect and sort reinforcements which would be sent to the soldiers on the battlefield) but after only 15 days, Sydney was appointed 48th Australian Infantry Battalion.
After arriving in France along with his Depot Battalion, Sydney fought in the Somme Offensive from 16th July 1917 to 2nd August 1917 in the Le Doulieu area. 15 days later, Sydney was appointed to the 48th Infantry Battalion to the battle of Pozières, which resulted in 598 casualties. After 100 days of fighting with his Battalion, on the tragic day of 12 November 1917 Sydney was killed in action ending his life at the age of 27, as the result of a gunshot wounds.
After his death, Sydney received the dead man’s penny which was medallion given to the next of kin of soldiers who died in the war. Sydney’s next of kin was his mother, but in his documents, there were clear instructions stating for any war medals to be sent to his father. And his mother would be left with any estates owned by Sydney.
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