Pte
Sidney Northrop
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1897 |
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Place of birth: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Student |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 326738 |
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Enlistment place: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Suffolk Regiment, 8th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 12/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Poelcapelle, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 20 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 40 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Private Sidney Northrop served in the Suffolk Regiment 8th Battalion, part of the 53rd Battalion, of the 18th (Eastern) Division.
The 18th Division was to attack the village of Poelkapelle and the German strongpoint at Meunier House, East of the village. The attack on the 12th of October 1917 was part of the First Battle of Passchendaele, in which allied forces launched an attack between the Ypres-Roulers railway and Houthulst forest.
The Division attacked with the 55th Brigade and the 53rd Brigade in support. The assaulting Battalions of the 55th Brigade were the 7th West Kents, the 7th Buffs and the 8th East Surreys. The 53rd Brigade were in support with the 8th Suffolks and the 6th Royal Berkshires in the line.
Zero hour was 5.20 a.m. The advance of the 8th East Surreys, on the right, was checked by machinegun fire from a position about 100 yards east of Gloster Farm. The Buffs moved forward with D and C Companies. The advance of C Company, on the right, came to a halt by machinegun fire from Gloster Farm and Point 37, just South of Poelkapelle. D Company, advanced on the left of C Company. They pushed through the ruins of Poelkapelle, but were fired upon by German machinegun positions in Meunier Farm and at the Brewery, once they reached the outskirts of the village. The West Kents, on the left of the 55th Brigade, were halted by the German strongpoint at the old Brewery. Consequently the advance off all three Battalions came to a standstill, just East of Poelkapelle. The Battalions chose to dug in, as they had no chance in capturing the well defended German strongpoints, East of the village.
The 53rd Brigade moved forward one hour behind the 55th Brigade, with the 8th Suffolks on the left and the 6th Berkshires on the right. The 8th Suffolks were exposed to heavy shelling, just moments after they left their jump-off line. The Germans put down a heavy barrage, when the Battalion was advancing between Rose Trench and the Langemark-Poelkapelle road. Notwithstanding the ruthless German artillery fire, the Battalion pushed on until they crossed the Langemark-Diksmuide road. The 8th Suffolks had to dig in, owing to German machinegun fire, possibly coming from the Brewery. They consolidated a line in the boggy ground, which was littered with shell holes, often filled with water. Months of unceasingly shelling had made the original course of the streams, in the Passchendaele, area unrecognizable. The streams which served as irrigation canals, were destroyed and the rainwater had no way out, converting the low ground in a nearly impassable morass.
During the attack a gap had been formed between the 8th Suffolks and the 4th Division, which had attacked just North of Poelkapelle. Thereupon the German defenders launched two counterattacks into the breach, one at noon and one at 5.30 p.m. Both attacks were fend off by the men of the 8th Suffolks and those of the 4th Division.
The Battalion was relieved in the frontline the next dayby the 8th Norfolk Regiment. The Suffolk Regiment 8th Battalion sustained a total of 232 casualties in the attack. Private Sidney Northrop of the 8th Suffolks was killed in action during the First Battle of Passchendaele. His body was never recovered. He is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
The 18th Division was to attack the village of Poelkapelle and the German strongpoint at Meunier House, East of the village. The attack on the 12th of October 1917 was part of the First Battle of Passchendaele, in which allied forces launched an attack between the Ypres-Roulers railway and Houthulst forest.
The Division attacked with the 55th Brigade and the 53rd Brigade in support. The assaulting Battalions of the 55th Brigade were the 7th West Kents, the 7th Buffs and the 8th East Surreys. The 53rd Brigade were in support with the 8th Suffolks and the 6th Royal Berkshires in the line.
Zero hour was 5.20 a.m. The advance of the 8th East Surreys, on the right, was checked by machinegun fire from a position about 100 yards east of Gloster Farm. The Buffs moved forward with D and C Companies. The advance of C Company, on the right, came to a halt by machinegun fire from Gloster Farm and Point 37, just South of Poelkapelle. D Company, advanced on the left of C Company. They pushed through the ruins of Poelkapelle, but were fired upon by German machinegun positions in Meunier Farm and at the Brewery, once they reached the outskirts of the village. The West Kents, on the left of the 55th Brigade, were halted by the German strongpoint at the old Brewery. Consequently the advance off all three Battalions came to a standstill, just East of Poelkapelle. The Battalions chose to dug in, as they had no chance in capturing the well defended German strongpoints, East of the village.
The 53rd Brigade moved forward one hour behind the 55th Brigade, with the 8th Suffolks on the left and the 6th Berkshires on the right. The 8th Suffolks were exposed to heavy shelling, just moments after they left their jump-off line. The Germans put down a heavy barrage, when the Battalion was advancing between Rose Trench and the Langemark-Poelkapelle road. Notwithstanding the ruthless German artillery fire, the Battalion pushed on until they crossed the Langemark-Diksmuide road. The 8th Suffolks had to dig in, owing to German machinegun fire, possibly coming from the Brewery. They consolidated a line in the boggy ground, which was littered with shell holes, often filled with water. Months of unceasingly shelling had made the original course of the streams, in the Passchendaele, area unrecognizable. The streams which served as irrigation canals, were destroyed and the rainwater had no way out, converting the low ground in a nearly impassable morass.
During the attack a gap had been formed between the 8th Suffolks and the 4th Division, which had attacked just North of Poelkapelle. Thereupon the German defenders launched two counterattacks into the breach, one at noon and one at 5.30 p.m. Both attacks were fend off by the men of the 8th Suffolks and those of the 4th Division.
The Battalion was relieved in the frontline the next dayby the 8th Norfolk Regiment. The Suffolk Regiment 8th Battalion sustained a total of 232 casualties in the attack. Private Sidney Northrop of the 8th Suffolks was killed in action during the First Battle of Passchendaele. His body was never recovered. He is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
Sources 3
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53 Infantry Brigade: 8 Battalion Suffolk Regiment, (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/2039/5 ). https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14303 Further reference |
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McCarthy C., The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995), pg. 117-118. Sources used |
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Murphy C., The History of the Suffolk Regiment 1914-1927, (London, Hutchinson & co. LTD, 1928), pg. 242-243. Sources used |
More information 3
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/832413 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=cba5d1bd-2ab0-4eda-91a4-a3e6b1a690a0 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/3286478 |