Sidney Thomas Gittins, born 1890 Astley Town Farm.

Mr John Gittins contacted the project with details of his family in WW1. 

This article is published with his kind permission.

Sidney Thomas Gittins was born at Astley Town Farm in 1890

Sidney was a bright child and was top of his class at the age of twelve but had to stay on at school until he finally left at fourteen. On 1st June 1906 at sixteen he started an apprenticeship as a wheelwright and coachbuilder for Thomas Hicks Fathers of Stourport for a princely sum of four shillings for the first year, rising to twelve shillings a week in the fourth and final year. During the four years he cycled from Astley to Stourport every day, starting at 5am to be at work for 6am. One day he was twenty minutes late because of deep snow and was sent home at once with a severe ticking off; he was stopped one shilling from his merge wages. Mealtimes at the workshop consisted of bacon and eggs brought from home, fried on a shovel on the hot coals in the workshop.

He was the last of the family to leave home and often told the story that as soon as he had had his tea he was expected to play cards every evening with his parents before being allowed to go out.

After he finished his apprenticeship he worked for his brother George at the Forge, Wychbold. In 1912 he bought George out. At the age of twenty he already had sixteen men working for him; carpenters, builders, blacksmiths etc.

In 1915 he married Elsie Teasel. At that time Sidney rented 6 acres of land where he raised sheep (not very successfully, as they developed footrot in damp fields). At one time he and Elsie also had five Lassie type collie dogs to look after. Elsie was a piano teacher but they had no children.

Sidney had volunteered for the Territorial Army and was in camp when war was declared on the first day of the First World War. He joined the 2nd South Midland Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery, 48th Territorial Division No 746 and was the first man to go from Wychbold. He served through this war becoming a Staff Sergeant and suffering trench fever, (now known as shell shock) when asked at the docks where he lived (Wychbold) the Army was only able to send him to the nearest available Hospital, which was Liverpool. He was wounded once by shrapnel before being invalided out under category C3 (barely alive), and was sent to Hospital in Essex.

One memory recalled by his son Beverley was that during the war Sidney was playing a trombone in a Military Band, marching down a street in France. A bystander in the crowd shouted HALT - everyone in the band came to an abrupt halt crashing into each other and total mayhem ensued - Sidney recounted this tale with great glee.

During the war he received three medals - 1914-15 Star - 1914-15 Round and 1914-1919 The Great War For Civilisation.