Pte 242545 Thomas Sydney Dodd

• Age: 19
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Tuesday 31st July 1917
• Commemorated at: Hooge Crater Cem, Zillebeke
  Panel Ref: I.F.5

Thomas Sydney Dodd was born on the 15th of April 1898 in Liverpool and was the son of Thomas Dodd and his wife Ada Ann (nee Gill) who had been married in October 1893 in St Bede’s Church, Toxteth. Thomas was baptised in St Peters Church, Liverpool on September 19th 1898, the same day as his cousin Robert who had been born a few months after Thomas. Both Thomas and Robert’s fathers were coopers, as was their father James, and his father before him who was also called Thomas – that Thomas (Thomas Sydney’s great grandfather) is recorded as a cooper on his marriage lines in 1829. Many of the Dodd family sons were coopers, and became master coopers and employers with the family having several cooperages over the city. Ada’s father was also a cooper.

The two year old Thomas Sydney was living with his family at 78 Harrowby Street in Toxteth at the time of the 1901 census, his father Thomas was 30 years old and his mother Ada was 31. Thomas had an older sister Dorothy who was 4, and a younger brother Matthew who was just 9 months old. Ada’s brother Fred, who was 17 and a cabinet maker was living with the family.

By 1911 the family had moved to 25 Hatherley Street, Toxteth. Thomas Sydney now aged 12 and at school had two more siblings – Florence aged 8 and William aged 2. His siblings Dorothy and Matthew are also present in the household. Their parents had been married for 17 years and Ada had borne 7 children, 1 of which had sadly died.

Sydney enlisted in Liverpool and was serving in the 18th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 242545 when he was killed in action on the 31st July 1917, aged 19, on the first day of the Third Battle of Ypres, better known as the Battle of Passchendaele.

On this day, before Zero Hour, the 18th Battalion was part of 21st Brigade and was to form up for the attack from trenches from the area of Sanctuary Wood to Observatory Ridge but it was dark and continually falling rain gave very poor visibility. The departure of the 21st Brigade was delayed by heavy shelling.

The 18th King’s began to move forward in the rear of the 2nd Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment who had been detailed as the left attacking battalion of the 21st Brigade.

No’s 1 and 3 Companies of the King’s led the way followed by No’s 2 and 4. In Sanctuary Wood there was considerable confusion, as a result No.2 and No.4 Companies became separated from the others, and were moved over to the left flank towards positions known as Surbiton Villas and Clapham Junction in the direction of the 90th Brigade.

No.1 and 3 Companies were soon in action with the enemy, and were for a time, held up against an enemy strong point. They pushed forward with their right on a trench known as Jar Row and their left on the tramway south of Stirling Castle. Advance along Jar Row was held up by the Germans who put up a fierce resistance and the party was forced to withdraw.

Another group of men from No.1 and No.3 Companies led by 2nd Lieut. Graham were being held up by another strongpoint which was south of Stirling Castle, which was eventually stormed and taken. Not far away from this action, an attempt, by other men of No.1 and No.3 companies, was made to penetrate a broad belt of uncut wire, but this was covered by

Machine-guns which killed almost every man attempting to pass through the two gaps that were discovered.

The situation was similar with No.2 and 4 Companies, who had attacked along the wrong axis. Their advance was met with fierce opposition, and once all the experienced officer’s had been killed or wounded, all cohesion was lost, although some men did reach and cross the Menin Road at Clapham Junction.

By that time, the situation had become extremely confused, and the whereabouts of all four companies being unknown to Battalion Headquarters, urgent attempts were made to discover their locations. Eventually by mid- afternoon, it was established that the bulk of the companies, although all mixed together, were dug in the vicinity of Stirling Castle and by mid evening, the Battalion Headquarters moved forward to meet them.

During its time in the line the 18th Battalion lost 7 officers and 76 men killed or died of wounds and 7 officers and 177 men were wounded. They were relieved on the 2nd August.

Syd was originally posted as Missing, he was reported wounded and missing in the local press on 05th October 1917.

A  further report in the Liverpool Echo on Friday 12th October 1917 stated:

Rifleman Syd Dodd K.LR. was reported wounded and missing on July 31st . Any information will be most gratefully received by his parents at 64 Mulgrave Street, Liverpool.

Thomas Sydney Dodd was eventually reported as killed in action on 31st July 1917.

Sydney was buried close to where he fell, after the war when graves were concentrated his body was exhumed and he now rests at Hooge Crater Cemetery, Zillebeke, Belgium where his headstone bears the epitaph:

“TO DEAR SYD WE SALUTE, HONOUR & REMEMBER YOU”

Hooge Chateau and its stables were the scene of very fierce fighting throughout the First World War. On 31 October 1914, the staff of the 1st and 2nd Divisions were wiped out when the chateau was shelled; from 24 May to 3 June 1915, the chateau was defended against German attacks and in July 1915, the crater was made by a mine sprung by the 3rd Division. On 30 July, the Germans took the chateau, and on 9 August, it and the crater were regained by the 6th Division. The Germans retook Hooge on 6 June 1916 and on 31 July 1917, the 8th Division advanced 1.6 Kms beyond it. It was lost for the last time in April 1918, but regained by the 9th (Scottish) and 29th Divisions on 28 September.

Hooge Crater Cemetery was begun by the 7th Division Burial Officer early in October 1917. It contained originally 76 graves, in Rows A to D of Plot I, but was greatly increased after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields of Zillebeke, Zantvoorde and Gheluvelt and other smaller cemeteries.

There are now 5,916 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 3,570 of the burials are unidentified, but special memorials record the names of a number of casualties either known or believed to be buried among them, or whose graves in other cemeteries were destroyed by shell fire.

The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

Soldiers Effects to his father Thomas and pension to his mother Ada Ann.

Probate 1919:- 

DODD - Thomas Sydney of 64 Mulgrave Street Liverpool private 6 Battalion King's Liverpool regiment died on or since 31 July 1917 in France Administration Liverpool 5 August to Thomas Dodd Master Cooper. Effects £111 17s 8d.

Sydney is commemorated in the Hall of Remembrance, Liverpool Town Hall, Panel 4 as 6th Battalion K.L.R. 

His parents appear on the 1939 register at 52 Dudley Road, Smithdown Road. Thomas retired master cooper, date of birth 02nd May 1870, Ada,  date of birth 03rd October 1868. 

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