Private James (Edward Louis) Sisson
1516 1/5th East Lancashire Regiment
Born 18th June 1896
Missing in Action 4th June 1915, aged 18
Lived at 15 Napier Street
Commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli
Burnley Express 24th June 1916

Burnleys Great War

Remembered by Anne Wayne

My ' Sisson' family originated from Norfolk, a good, hard working family, employed as gardeners or agricultural labourers in and around Postwick, Norfolk. My great grandfather was John Samuel Sisson (1850-1922), when his mother died in 1863 his father married again and it seems around this time probably because not enough work for his growing family in Norfolk they all moved to Lancashire.

In 1876 John Samuel married Mary Jane Darlington in Lumb Lancashire and they had eleven children (3 sets of twins), only five children survived infancy - two girls and three boys. The boys were John William Sisson b 1880, James Louis Sisson b 1896, and my grandfather Albert Victor Sisson b 1887.

John William Sisson b 1880 survived the war, at the age of 19 in 1899 he married Annie Hopwood, Annie died in Feb 1906 and John William married Elizabeth Ann Stephenson Jul 1906, he died in 1939 aged 59.

My grandfather was Albert Victor Sisson born 1887, Accrington Lancashire, luckily he survived the Great War, apparently his service record did not survive but I did manage to find a few things - he was a private in the East Lancashire Regiment army number 12168, he also served in the Machine Gun Cops army number 62473. I have a list of his medals but unfortunately I don't have a photo of him in his army uniform.

The poppy would be for Albert's brother James Edward Louis Sisson born 18 June 1896, baptised St John the Baptist Church, Burnley 24 Dec 1896, missing in action 1915 a fortnight before his nineteenth birthday. John Samuel and wife Mary, son James age 14, son Albert 23 found on the 1911 Census living at 15 Napier Street, Burnley so it appears to be the same James Sisson missing in action a few years later on 4 June 1915.

• John Edward Sisson would be the Sgt John Sisson 6520, killed in action 4 Sept 1915 age 37. ** William Edward Clayton would be the Pte William Clayton 13613 missing in action 25 Sept 1915.

(Courtesy of his Great Niece - Anne Wayne)