Royal Field Artillery
Sydney Vyvyan Trevenen was born on 2 January 1894, the son of a Cheltenham solicitor living in Christchurch Road. He was educated at Cheltenham College between 1908 and 1911 and then, having been accepted at the Royal Military Academy Woolwich, moved away from his home town.
On 19 December 1913, Trevenen was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Field Artillery and was amongst the first to go over to France when war broke out. The following June he was promoted Lieutenant and later was awarded the Military Cross after crawling out from the front line trenches to a distance of 1,000 yards to bring back useful intelligence.
Soon after his promotion to Captain, Sydney Trevenen was severely gassed when serving with the No 49 Battery of 40th Brigade. He was evacuated out of the battle zone to Etaples where, on 10 June 1918, he died from septic bronchial pneumonia. His body lies in Etaples Cemetery.
There is a commemorative battlefield cross to Captain Sydney Vyvyan Trevenen in St Stephen’s Church, Cheltenham.