Sydney Charles Reason

Rank 
Private
Regiment 
Middlesex Regiment
Date of death 
17 April 1918
Age of death 
19
Address 
30 Chingford Lane
Woodford Green
Woodford
IG8 9QN
Address source 
1911 Census
Cemetery / Memorial 
France
Biography 

Born in 1898 at Woodford, son of Frederick William (Bricklayer, later a Groom) and Fanny Reason. 1901: With his family at 30 Chingford Lane, Woodford Green (Walthamstow). 1911: A Scholar still with his family at 30 Chingford Lane. He enlisted at Stratford, joining 1 Middlesex Regiment.

His father, a Regular soldier in the Royal Artillery from 1884 to 1896 returned to the Colours on 7th August 1914, with 2 East Anglian Brigade Royal Field Artillery. He was discharged in 1916 as no longer fit for war service.   

The Meteren-Wytschaete front saw a number of strong but unsuccessful German attacks during 16th April 1918.          1 Middlesex were west of Schaeken just before 10.00 when German forces were reported to be in nearby Meteren, and some British Battalions were withdrawing. 1 Middlesex launched a counter attack with two Companies at 13.00 and, facing down machine gun fire, managed to reach the main road at Meteren. However the weight of German opposition was too great. 1 Middlesex withdrew from the village and eventually bolstered by their remaining two Companies, formed a line just north of Meteren running from the south east to north west.

On the morning of 17th April 1918 men were sent towards Meteren to confirm reports that French troops had taken the village and ground beyond it. Hostile German fire proved those reports to be false. So began a morning of shooting and shelling which left about 60 other ranks killed or wounded. The rate of shellfire diminished during the afternoon and ended with the arrival of darkness, but by then Sydney Reason had been Killed in Action.

Research by Adrian Lee, Local Historian

Sources:

Ancestry.com

Regimental Histories