Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of David Alan Todd, John St., Lidcombe 

PRIVATE S. C. TODD
We have to express our deepest sympathy with our esteemed colleague, the Granville district representative of 'The Argus' and with Mrs. D. B. Todd (and the rest of the family) 'in connection with the receipt on Tuesday of the definite news of tho death on the field of battle in France of thoir gallant soldier son. For months past it had been known that he was missing, but till this week, a natural feeling of hope went in some, way to support the theory as to the probability of the young Australian hero's having in some way got into an obscure hospital somewhere and been officially overlooked. However, as we say, on Tuesday evening the news was officially, communicated in the usual way to tho family, that the fact had been established that Private S. C. Todd had with others made the great sacrifice. Private Sydney Carlisle Todd (who was well known in Pnrramatta) was the second son of Mr. D. B. Todd, John-street, Lidcombe (and of 'The Argus' staff). He was reported missing in France on 5th November last year. It is now officially reported that he was killed in action. He was 23 years of age. Born at Tamworth he was educated at Pitt Row public school, Parramatta (under Mr. .S. Drummond, B.A.), and St. John's Church of England  Grammar School, Parramatta. Prior to enlisting he was in the railway service, and he occupied the position of secretary to the Heads Club, Pnrramatta. He was also a member of the Parramatta Lancer and Citizens' Bands. Private S. C. Todd was attached to C Company of the 1st Battalion, and went away with the 9th Reinforcements to that Battalion on 30th September, 1915. After being in Egypt several months he was amongst the first to go to France, where he was in the firing line without a rest from March in the following year until his death in November He always longed to see old England, but was never, fortunate enough to be included amongst those who obtained furlough. He went through the whole of the first big push without a scratch, and described the battle of Pozieres as 'hell on earth.' The mud and slush of the Somme he characterised as awful. He was up to his waist in water for days together. Notwithstanding tho hardships endured he never grumbled. It is said by other soldiers writing home that it was during a periodical night raid on the German trenches that he met his death. As we state in our opening lines of this paragraph the very deepest sympathy of the whole district (in which Mr. D. B. Todd is so well known) and of the whole staff of the Office of this paper, by whom he is regardud with such respect, as an esteem ed comrade, goes out to the bereaved family.

Sydney Carlisle TODD (Service Number 2918) was born on 2nd June 1894 at Tamworth. He was a temporary junior porter in the Traffic Branch of the NSW Railways in the Sydney District from 21st August 1914, becoming permanent on 16th October and progressing to porter on 2nd June 1915, his 21st birthday.   That same day he was granted leave to join the Expeditionary Forces and enlisted at Liverpool at the end of the month. He gave his father, David Alan Todd of Lidcombe, as his next of kin and cited three years’ military experience with the NSW Lancers. He was allotted to the 9th Reinforcements to the 1st Battalion. He embarked HMAT ‘Argyllshire’ at Sydney on 30th September 1915.

After training in Egypt, on 29th March 1916 he embarked HMT ‘Transylvania’ at Alexandria for passage to join the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front in France, passing through Marseilles on 4th April. He moved to the 1st Australian Division Base Depot at Etaples and from there on 15th May was taken on strength of the 1st Battalion in the field.

Todd was killed in action on 5th November 1916. The only information received about his fate came from Private G Canute (2809):

‘He was killed alongside me at Flers, on Nov. 5th. by a bomb out of Nomansland. We were only a few yards from the German trench and were in the shell hole together. He was killed outright. The body had to be left there when we went on. He was a bomber.’

Although there is documentation that he was buried, and a location is given as about 450 yards NNW of Gueudecourt at map reference 57C.S.W. N20.d.3.7., after the war the place could not be found and Todd has no known grave. He is remembered on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.

- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.