Sidney Edward Timms

Sidney Edward was the son of Edward and Sarah Ann Timms (née Clarke). His father was born in Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, in 1877, the son of Joseph, a stone mason and builder, and Emily Eliza Timms. His mother was born in Stone, Staffordshire, in 1879. Edward and Sarah were married at Oxford St Clements in December 1897 and had five children, four of whom survived infancy: Sidney Edward b. Oxford 13 April 1898 bap. St Clement 26 June 1898, Alfred William b. Reading Berkshire 1899; Gladys Louise b. Worthing Sussex 1903 and Frank Leonard b. Brighton 1908. Edward and Sarah were living on Boulter Street, Oxford, at the time of their marriage and still at the same address in 1898 when Sidney was baptised. However, they had moved to Reading by 1899 when their second son was born and in 1901 were recorded on the census at Liverpool Road, Reading: Edward (24) a tailor's salesman, Sarah (22), Sidney (2) and Alfred (1). Their daughter, Gladys, was born in Worthing two years later. Their youngest son Frank was born in Brighton in 1908 and in 1911 Edward, a 'commercial motor car driver' (furniture trade), and his four children, Sidney, Alfred, Gladys (7) and Frank (2) were recorded on the census at Ditchling Road, Brighton. Sarah was not in the home on the night of the census and has not yet been traced on the census, but she died later that year (reg. J/A/S Brighton). Edward died in 1925 (reg. Steyning Sussex). Sidney's brother, Alfred, also served in the Royal Navy, joining as a Boy 2nd Class (J/38651) on 10 May 1916 and enlisting on a 12 year continuous service engagement on 13 August 1917, his eighteenth birthday. He was discharged shore, continuous service engagement expired, on 12 August 1929 and joined the Royal Fleet Reserve on 13 August. He did a further year non-continuous service between February 1936 and February 1937 rejoining the RFR the same month. He was mobilised on 28 September 1938 and demobilised in October 1938 then mobilised on 26 August 1939 serving until 24 September 1945.

1915 - porter (Boots Retail)

Sidney joined the Royal Navy on 15 February 1915 as a Boy 2nd Class and enlisted on a continuous service engagement (12 years) on 13 April 1916, his eighteenth birthday. He served in the following ships and shore establishments: HMS Impregnable, 15 February 1915-17 June 1915 (Boy 2nd Class, 12 June Boy 1st Class); HMS Glory, 18 June 1915-10 April 1916; Victory 11 April 1916-11 June 1916 (Ordinary Seaman 13 April 1916); Emperor of India 12 June 1916-16 August 1916; Victory 17 August 1916-11 September 1916; HMS Renown, 12 September 1916-8 October 1917 ( Able Seaman 27 July 1917); Victory ! 9 October 1917-31 December 1917; Europa I, 1 January 1918-20 January 1918. His record was annotated ‘DD [Discharged Dead] 20 Jan 1918 when HMS Louvain was sunk’ Sidney's last ship, HMS Louvain, formerly SS Dresden, operated by the Great Eastern Railway Company (Harwich-Antwerp service), was built as a passenger ship by Earle's Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd, Hull, in 1897. She was transferred to the Admiralty as an armed boarding steamer, renamed 'Louvain' and used as troop transport. HMS Louvain sailed from Portsmouth on 1 January 1918, the day Sidney was drafted to Louvain, bound for Mudros via Malta. In addition to the ship's company there were officers and ratings who were joining other ships in the Mediterranean. HMS Louvain left Malta on 18 January with an escort until she transitted the Corinth Canal independently after which she was met and escorted by HMS Colne, a motor torpedo boat. Louvain was sunk by torpedo in the Aegean Sea on 20 January 1918 by German submarine UC-22 (Oberleutnant zur See Carle Bunte) whichlaid a minefield across the formation's path before firing two torpedoes. HMS Colne was not hit in the attack and fired depth charges before returning to the last sighted position of Louvain, which had now sunk, to rescue survivors. There were over 200 casualties including the captain, officer of the watch and over 70 Maltese ratings of whom more than 20 were ship's company. UC-22 escaped and in the next few months Bunte sank two more ships before leaving his command; he survived the war. In total, 24 ships were sunk and three damaged by UC-22 between September 1916 and August 1918. Sidney's body was not recovered for burial and he is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial (29).

Also lost in HMS Louvain: J/36402 AB Walter Wright of Nottingham and J/72387 Ordinary Seaman Harry Critchlow of Kirkby in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire. (See records on this Roll of Honour) Mid Sussex Times, 5 February 1918. A round-up of war news included: ‘Seven officers and 217 men (70 Maltese) were lost when the British armed boarding steamer Louvain (Lieut. Commander MG Easten RNR) was torpedoed in the Eastern Mediterranean on January 21st.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) CWGC: ' Son of Edward Timms, of 10, Viaduct Rd., Brighton.' Sidney's brother joined the Royal Navy on 10 May 1915 and served in both World Wars (see 'family history').