Thomas Harold Albert Sidery was born in Brixton in 1890, one of the nine children of Thomas Richard Sidery (1866-1916) and Helena Elizabeth Sidery née Bishop (1867-1916). His birth was registered in the 3rd quarter of 1890 in the Lambeth Registration District, London. On 21 September 1890 he was baptised in St John the Divine Church, where in the baptismal register his family are shown as living at 90 Rattray Road, Brixton and his father's occupation was listed as G.P.O.
He was shown on the census that was taken on 5 April 1891 as 9-months-old and living with his parents in three rooms at 90 Rattray Road, Brixton. His father was shown as a tracer in the General Post Office.
In June 1904 he was appointed as an Indoor Boy Messenger with the G.P.O., London, and promoted to Store Boy in July 1905. In November 1909 he became a Postman in Norwood, Surrey, (now Greater London).
He was described on the census return form completed by his father on 2 April 1911 as aged 20 years and a letter carrier employed by the General Post Office, living in a six roomed property at 6 Crawshay Road, Brixton, with his parents and six of his surviving siblings: Dorothy Helena Sidery (1892-1986); Walter Sidery (1893-1958) - a Stock Exchange clerk; Frank Joseph Sidery (1897-1918) - a scholar; Frederick William Sidery (1899-1997) - a scholar; William Archer Sidery (1902-1932) and Constance Alice Sidery (b.1907). His father described himself as an assistant head messenger at the General Post Office and stated that his wife had given birth to nine children of which only eight were still alive.
In November 1911 he transferred as a postman to the London Western District Office.
In October 1914 he joined the 8th (City of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (Post Office Rifles), service number 2898 and entered France on 18 March 1915, returning to England on 29 April 1915. When the men in the regiment were given new service numbers on 1 April 1917 he was allocated the number 370939. He returned to France on 11 May 1917 and remained there and was serving in 'B' Company of the 1st/8th Battalion of his regiment when he died of his wounds, aged 27 years, on 5 September 1917 at the 12th Casualty Clearing Station and is , in the Mendingham Military Cemetery, Roesbruggestraat, 8972 Poperinge, Belgium.
Probate records show his home address remained as 5 Crawshay Road, Brixton and that he left a will that was administered by his sister Dorothy Helena Sidery, a spinster, on 8 March 1918. His effects amounted to £197-6s-10d. On 28 August 1918 his sister, who by now had married and was called Dorothy H Mills, was sent his back pay and effects which totalled 16s-9d. He was posthumously awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal 1914-1918 and the Victory Medal. One of his younger brothers, Frank Joseph Sidery, who was a Rifleman in the 7th Battalion, Rifle Brigade, died on service on 27 October 1918.
He is shown as 'SIDERY, T. H. A.' on the Western Postal District war memorial in Mount Pleasant, London, WC1. He is also commemorated on the , on the , on the , on the , on the and on .
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
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