Sidney Whitmarsh

Story:
Sidney Whitmarsh was born at Melbury Abbas, Shaftesbury, Dorset in 1871, the son of Ambrose John Whitmarsh and Maria Whitmarsh (nee Lane). The family lived for a time at White Pit Lane, Melbury Abbas. He had enlisted with the Royal Garrison Artillery in 1897.  He married Kate Lane at Melbury Abbas on 11th July 1898. He had been discharged from the army and according to the 1911 Census, when they were living at Burton Street, Marnull, Dorset, there was at least one child of the marriage. He re-enlisted as a Private with the Dorsetshire Regiment on 17th August 1914 (Service No. 7373). He was transferred as a Gunner to the Royal Garrison Artillery on 1st January 1915 (Service No. 6720) and served with them in France. On 5th May 1917, having returned to the UK, he was transferred to the Labour Corps as a Private (Service No. 435341) and joined the 644th Agricultural Company. He was demobilized on 31st March 1920 and awarded the Victory and British War medals. The 1921 Census shows him living at Tices Farm, Runfold, Farnham, Surrey, working as a Farm Carter. He was obviously in some financial difficulty in 1923, when by then living at 1 Frederick Street, Aldershot, Hampshire, as he was trying to obtain copies of his military record in order to prove his need to the authorities. He died in Aldershot in 1936.   His brother, Charles Whitmarsh, also served but was discharged on 2 Apr 1918 being physically unfit due to gun shot wounds and died in 1920. Source: Based on previous research by Ken Baxter.