Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
Sydney Francis Bond was the third son of Sydney Bond (a saddler and harness maker) and his wife Elizabeth. He was born at St Briavels in the Forest of Dean on 16 October 1900. The family had previously lived in Wales before taking up residence at The Willows, Longford, Gloucester.
Young Sydney entered the King’s School, Gloucester at the age of 13 in September 1914, as a Pembroke Exhibitioner. It is believed that he left aged either 16 or 17 and took up employment, as a clerk, with the Gloster Aircraft Company at Brockworth, prior to joining the Royal Navy.
He enlisted at Bristol into the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve on 26 August 1918 for the duration of hostilities and was initially posted to the Royal Navy Depot, Crystal Palace, to undertake basic military training. It appears likely that he fell ill, whilst in initial training, on 23 September 1918 and was admitted to 4th London General Hospital at Denmark Hill. He died on 9 October 1918, from broncho-pneumonia and cardiac failure, one week short of his eighteenth birthday.
His grave, in St Matthew’s Church, Twigworth is now marked with a standard CWGC headstone.
Researched by Graham Adams 3 April 2015 (revised)
(Acknowledgement to ‘The King’s Men — Fallen in the Great War: The King’s School, Gloucester’ by Bob Brunsdon)