Royal Engineers
Sidney Pitman was born on 9 May 1896 in the small village of Gotherington, just outside Bishop’s Cleeve. He was one of eleven children (seven boys and four girls) born to Joseph Pitman (a domestic gardener) and his wife Emma (née Long) and their fifth son. Ten of the children had survived by the time of the 1911 Census (one son had been born and died on the same day – possibly stillborn – in December 1901) and the family home was Woodbine Cottage, Gotherington. Then aged 14, Sidney is shown in the census as being a ploughboy.
He attested for military service, when aged 19 years and four months, at Gloucester on 9 September 1915 and was posted to the Royal Engineers. At the time of attestation his occupation was an insurance agent and he was unmarried.
His role in the Royal Engineers was as a driver and after initial training he joined ‘D’ Company, Training Depot on 4 January 1916. On 19 April 1916 he was promoted to Lance Corporal and he was appointed as a 2nd Corporal on 8 May in the same year. On 5 February 1916 he was posted to 7th (Horsed) Bridging Train at Aldershot, as a driver. He went overseas to join the British Expeditionary Force on 8 May 1916 and served on the Western Front for almost a year until 2 May 1917. He spent eleven days in hospital from 1 to 11 November 1916 (reason unknown) and in March 1917 he sustained a dislocated knee, which necessitated a further spell in hospital. On 2 May 1917 he was sent back to England, for treatment in Manchester and on 24 July was posted to the RE Command Depot at Thetford.
From November 1917 his health started to deteriorate: he developed an increasingly troublesome cough, suffered from night sweats and loss of weight. These were classic symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis and once diagnosed he was discharged from the Army on 14 May 1918 and received a Silver War Badge, in recognition of his service. As his condition was attributed to the strain of active service and exposure, he was granted 30 shillings (£1.50) per week pension, initially until 2 November 1918, when it was extended until 11 March 1919. Eventually he was admitted to a sanatorium at the Connaught Hospital, Aldershot where he died, from tuberculosis, on 27 January 1919 aged 22.
Corporal Sidney Pitman was buried in the south-west corner of St Michael’s Churchyard, Bishop’s Cleeve in a family grave on 31 January 1919. The Gloucestershire Echo of 29 January contained a death notice.
Researched by Graham Adams 27 January 2019