Private Sidney Charles Bowden


Service Army Service No. 9438
Rank Private
Regiment:Coldstream Guards, 5th Reserve Battalion
Date of Birth: 1896
Born Mamhead
Date of Death: 19/01/1919
Memorial: Dawlish Memorial Inscription BOWDEN S C PTE COLDM GDS

Service History

In 1911 Sidney Charles Bowden was 15 and an agricultural labourer, but he enlisted with the Coldstream Guards on 23 January 1912, aged 15.

A partial service record shows that he served at Home from 22-1-1912 to 11-8-1914, then was posted with “Expeditionary Forces Overseas” from 12-8-14 to 6-11-14 and returned to Home posting from 7-11-14 to his discharge on 5-2-16.

Sidney Bowden was wounded in action on 1st October 1914 at Ypres and the medical record shows that “bullet entered just below spine of scapula (L) and came out close to the right of spine, about 8th dorsal vertebra. Has lost power of legs & also micturition and defaecation.” He was 18 years old.

The conclusion was that it “totally prevents for life” and led to his discharge. The examination was carried out at No 2 Hospital, Pennsylvania, Exeter and is overstamped “TOTAL DISABLEMENT”.

He was discharged on 5 February 1916 and died on 19 January 1919 and is buried in Dawlish cemetery.

Association with Dawlish

Sidney Charles Bowden was the youngest of five children of James (1846- ) and Elizabeth (1856- ) Bowden.

In 1891 James and Elizabeth were living at 27 High Street, Kenton with three children, Mary J (1879- ), Frederick (1885- ) and Henry J (1887- ).

By 1901 they had moved to 42 High Street, Dawlish and had one more child, Sidney Charles (1897-1919).

His older brother, Ernest John Bowden (q.v.) was killed on 1 July 1916 on the opening day of the battles of the Somme.

Devon Roll of Honour Bowden, Sidney Charles, Pte, Coldstream Guards, 19th Jan 1919, Dawlish
Additional Information Commonwealth War Graves Site


Next of Kin: James Bowden, father
Last Known Address: 29 Manor Row, Dawlish


Sidney Charles Bowden headstone in Dawlish Cemetery, Devon

The regimental badge of the Coldstream Guards (CG) of the Guards Division, it is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army.

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Census data.

War Service and medical records

UK, Army Registers of Soldiers' Effects