Pte
Sydney Mackness
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1895 |
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Place of birth: Rushden, Northamptonshire, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Shoe Factor |
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: 17957 |
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Enlistment place: Rushden, Northamptonshire, England, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Northamptonshire Regiment, 2nd Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 01/08/1917 |
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Place of death: Lijssenthoek, Remy Siding, No. 10 Casualty Clearing Station, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Died of wounds (D.O.W.) |
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Age: 22 |
Cemetery
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Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery Plot: XVII Row: A Grave: 13A |
Distinctions and medals 3
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1914-15 Star Medal |
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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 Sydney Mackness served in the Northamptonshire Regiment, 2nd Battalion, part of the 24th Brigade, of the 8th Division.
On 31 July 1917, the 8th Division took part in the Battle of Pilckem Ridge, a stage in the Third Battle of Ypres. The design of the attack was a series of advances in three stages, with three corresponding objectives: the Blue, Black and Green Line.
The 8th Division was to attack with two brigades, the 24th and the 23rd, with the 25th Brigade in support. The 24th Brigade was on the right of the divisional front, just west of the village of Hooge. It would attack with the 1st Worcesters and the 2nd Northamptonshires. When they had reached the Blue Line, the 2nd East Lancashires and the 1st Sherwood Foresters were going to pass through and take the Black Line.
The 2nd Northamptonshires, Private Mackness’s battalion, was divided into 4 companies: “A”, “B”, “C” and “D”. “A” and “D” companies were to attack in two waves, with one platoon from each company given the task of ‘mopping-up’. Waves three and four were to be carried out by five platoons of “B” and “C" companies, with the remaining platoons also assigned the task of mopping-up.
The actual attack began at 3.50 am. The first and second wave passed over the Germans without much opposition. But then the battalion had to cope with difficult terrain: Bellewaarde Lake formed a huge obstacle. The left of the battalion had to go along the eastern edge of the lake. There, beyond the lake, the barrage was nearly lost, because the right of the battalion had encountered Château Wood in its path – a mass of wire and fallen trees – and were thus held up.
But despite the obstacles, the first objective was taken. The Worcesters and Northamptonshires took the Blue Line, Jacob Trench and Bellewaerde Ridge, and the 1st Sherwood Foresters passed through and managed to take the Black Line.
The Green Line, on the other hand, caused some more problems. The 24th Brigade came under machinegun fire from Hanebeek valley and from Glencorse Wood, so they had to pull back to the shelter of Westhoek Ridge, named after the hamlet of Westhoek. The Green Line could not be taken that day.
Private Sydney Mackness participated in the Battle of Pilckem Ridge on the 31st of July. During the attack on Bellewaerde Ridge he was wounded and subsequently evacuated to Casualty Clearing Station no. 10, at Remy Siding, at the town of Poperinge. A day later, on the 1st of August 1917, he died of his wounds. He was buried at the Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery.
On 31 July 1917, the 8th Division took part in the Battle of Pilckem Ridge, a stage in the Third Battle of Ypres. The design of the attack was a series of advances in three stages, with three corresponding objectives: the Blue, Black and Green Line.
The 8th Division was to attack with two brigades, the 24th and the 23rd, with the 25th Brigade in support. The 24th Brigade was on the right of the divisional front, just west of the village of Hooge. It would attack with the 1st Worcesters and the 2nd Northamptonshires. When they had reached the Blue Line, the 2nd East Lancashires and the 1st Sherwood Foresters were going to pass through and take the Black Line.
The 2nd Northamptonshires, Private Mackness’s battalion, was divided into 4 companies: “A”, “B”, “C” and “D”. “A” and “D” companies were to attack in two waves, with one platoon from each company given the task of ‘mopping-up’. Waves three and four were to be carried out by five platoons of “B” and “C" companies, with the remaining platoons also assigned the task of mopping-up.
The actual attack began at 3.50 am. The first and second wave passed over the Germans without much opposition. But then the battalion had to cope with difficult terrain: Bellewaarde Lake formed a huge obstacle. The left of the battalion had to go along the eastern edge of the lake. There, beyond the lake, the barrage was nearly lost, because the right of the battalion had encountered Château Wood in its path – a mass of wire and fallen trees – and were thus held up.
But despite the obstacles, the first objective was taken. The Worcesters and Northamptonshires took the Blue Line, Jacob Trench and Bellewaerde Ridge, and the 1st Sherwood Foresters passed through and managed to take the Black Line.
The Green Line, on the other hand, caused some more problems. The 24th Brigade came under machinegun fire from Hanebeek valley and from Glencorse Wood, so they had to pull back to the shelter of Westhoek Ridge, named after the hamlet of Westhoek. The Green Line could not be taken that day.
Private Sydney Mackness participated in the Battle of Pilckem Ridge on the 31st of July. During the attack on Bellewaerde Ridge he was wounded and subsequently evacuated to Casualty Clearing Station no. 10, at Remy Siding, at the town of Poperinge. A day later, on the 1st of August 1917, he died of his wounds. He was buried at the Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery.
Sources 3
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24 Infantry Brigade: 2 Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment. (The National Archives, KEW (TNA), WO 95/1722/3). http://www.nmarchive.com/ Further reference |
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McCarthy C., The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995), pg. 23-25. Sources used |
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Regimental History Committee, The Northamptonshire Regiment, 1914-1918, (Aldershot, Gale & Polden, s.d. 1932), pg. 214-220. 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/145912 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=968c9dda-fea5-48f1-8658-4fb2e8b1b4bd |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/2874472 |