1889 - 25th September 1917 (age 27)
Private 27901
6th Bn. Yorkshire Regiment
Sydney was not a native of Sowerby, he was born at Polstead in Suffolk,
the son of an agricultural labourer and his wife, Mr and Mrs A Wright
of Anchor Corner, Little Ellingham, Attleborough, Norfolk. By 1911, he was
living with the Mitchinson family at Osgodby Grange Thirsk, where he was employed as a Beastman on Farm.
On 8th May 1916, he married Jane Annie Barker at St Oswald's Church, she was the daughter of
Edward Barker (deceased) a gardener. Sydney enlisted into the Yorkshire Regiment at Thirsk,
showing his residence as Sowerby. Another casualty of The Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele),
Sydney was killed in action on 25th September 1917 and has no known grave. He is remembered on the
Tyne Cot Memorial which is one of the 4 memorials in Flanders and bears the names of 35,000 officers and men.
Tyne Cot Memorial, Flanders
Sydney is not mentioned on any of the memorials in Sowerby. His widow's
last address was shown as 55 Stonebridgegate, Ripon and his mother lived
in Norfolk, so it is likely that there was nobody left in Sowerby to remember
him after the War.
His elder brother, Arthur, was killed in action on 8th October 1918, he is remembered on the village memorial in Little Ellingham, Norfolk.
Sydney's widow Jane, married George Long in 1923.
The information on this page was compiled by Steve Billings, with thanks to Cynthia Budd for her detailed research into Suffolk based memorials which provided vital information on Sydney.
Information about Sydney Wright on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website
Information about Sydney Wright on the War Graves Photographic Project website