CLARRY, Sidney Basil



No.6704, Private, Sidney Basil CLARRY
Aged 32


2nd Battalion, Suffolk Regiment
Died in Captivity on Wednesday, 24th July 1918


An Old Contemptible


Sidney Basil Clarry was born in Cavendish on 9th October 1886 (Sudbury Q4-1886 4A:656), son of Phoebe CLARRY

1891 census...Aged 4, he was at The Street, Cavendish with his grandfather John CLARRY [61] gardener; his grandmother Maria [55]; aunt Laura BYFORD [31]; mother Pheobe [29]; James CLARRY [27] butcher and Horace CLARRY [23] brewer (married or single is not recorded except for Laura); Zilla [21], May [19] and Bessie CLARRY [16], all three women were silk weavers and marital status not recorded. All were born in Cavendish

1901 census...Aged 14, factory hand, he was at High Street, Cavendish with his grandparents (grandmother now recorded as Jessie). The rest of the adults are recorded as single, they were Horace (farm labourer), Phoebe [39], Zilla [29], May [29], Bessie [25].Recorded as grandchildren but no clue as to parentage; Percy [9] and Claude [3] born Cavendishand Samuel [5] born Ipswich.

1911 census...Aged 24, mat maker, he was still at High Street, Cavendish with his grandparents (grandmother now Maria again). Also, all still recorded as single; his mother Pheobe; Horace (farm labourer), Zilla, Percy (farm labourer) and Claude. It is recorded that Maria had borne 10 children but 4 had died


He enlisted in Sudbury.

The 2nd Suffolks were nearly wiped out at the battle of Le Cateau on 26th August 1914, losing 720 of all ranks in their valiant attempt to stem the advance of the Germans. This stand by the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, Suffolks and Yorkshire Light Infantry enabled many of British Army to continue the retreat and live to fight on.

http://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/List/3003715/1872/34717/ Sidney was captured,unwounded, at Le Cateau very early in the war, on 26th August 1914. Sadly he nearly reached the end of the war, but died of illness (unknown as yet) in hospital at Lauchhammer, 37 miles north of Dresden.



photo: Commonwealth War Graves Commission



Sidney Clarry is buried in Berlin South Western Cemetery, grave 2:H:3

click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details


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