Private Sydney Woodhead
17141 9th Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
Killed in Action 12th April 1917
Born Bacup, Lived in Burnley
Buried in Chili Trench Cemetery, Gavrelle, France
Burnley Express
Commemorated
on Elim Primitive Methodists Memorial
BURNLEY LANE SOLDIER
KILLED
Trophies Melancholy Interest.
(Burnley Express 09/06/17)
After seven weeks of suspense, during which period they had not received
a word from any source, Mr & Mrs Woodhead, of 14 Ivy Street, Colne
Road, the other day received official intimation that their youngest son,
Sydney Woodhead of the Scottish Rifles, had been killed in action on April
12th. The deceased who was 25 years of age, enlisted on December 1st,
1914 and after training at Nigg in Scotland went out on June 1st 1915,
and fourteen days later received a slight wound on his left temple. The
deceased soldier had had a number of adventures and narrow escapes. He
was buried twice in the battle of Delville Wood (Somme), and though wounded
extracted his officer, who had been buried three times, and got him to
the communication trench, where the Royal Army Medical Corps took him
forward. The officer, who had a fractured jaw, was unconscious and on
regaining his senses asked the soldier if he were his servant, and on
receiving an affirmative reply said “That’s all right.”
He saw service at Ypres and on leaving there had a seven day march in
preparation for the big push late July, and was fagged out. On one occasion
he had a narrow escape of being shot by a sniper. While passing through
a stile, going for rations in company with another soldier, a bullet passed
just between them, and on another he was bending down to pick something
up from the ground, when a shell dropped at his feet but, fortunately
for him, it did not explode. He went through the battle of Loos without
a scratch. On coming home on furlough he brought back with him two souvenirs
in the shape of a bronze Marli horse and a work box, which he found in
a German dug-out. The articles having evidently been obtained during the
looting of a Belgium town. He carried them in his kit from September 25th
to the following February. They will always now have a melancholy interest.
The deceased soldier, previous to joining the Army, was a tackler at Whitehead
and Leaver’s, and was associated with Elim Primitive Methodist Chapel
and school, being a member of the choir. He was well known and a highly
respected, and a ‘better lad never went out of doors.’ He
was of musical taster, with a strong leaning for the organ. Much sympathy
has been expressed with Mr & Mrs Woodhead and his sweetheart in their
loss, and they are grateful. They have heard of a soldier being in the
bowling green at Ightenhill Park recently, when he was heard in remark
that he had a letter for Mr & Mrs Woodhead, up Burnley Lane, and they
would be pleased to hear from the soldier.
Mr & Mrs Woodhead have another son, Herbert who is with the Duke of
Wellington’s Regiment, and was wounded by shrapnel at Ypres about
a year and eight or nine months ago. They visited him in hospital at Warrington
