Private Sidney Hudson 977178 8th July 1944 Aged 24

[ang1985]

Sidney was my Grandad's cousin and he was posted with the Lincolnshire Regiment. When Sidney left for France, my Grandad (nicknamed RT) saw him off at Aylsham Train Station and the last thing Sidney said to him was 'Well this is it RT, you won't see me again' and unfortunately he was right Sidney did not return. He died on the 8th July 1944 in Herouville as a result of Operation Charnwood part of Operation Overlord and is buried in Ranville War Cemetery. Me and my father are very fortunate to be visiting Sidney's grave for the first time in three weeks when we go on a D-Day landing beaches tour and I plan to take a poppy cross which has been on my Grandad's grave and place it on Sidney's, they were both a similar age and I like to think that they were close. Will definitely be a poignant visit.

[iluleah]

Ah that is nice you will be able to go and see for yourselves........ and nice to know these men ( and women) will never be forgotten.

I remember my grandmother telling me about the telegram arriving on her 9th birthday, she ran to see as she thought it was for her, but it was for her parents to say her 19yr old brother was missing presumed dead ( WW1) Even being so young when she told me I saw the sadness in her and it affected me even then.
So while researching finding out more about him was very important to me and I had to make sure he is never forgotten and his life as short as it was, documented, celebrated and known.

[ang1985]

Very true, exactly how I feel about Sidney's life. Unfortunately my grandad died when I was 5 so I never got to chat to him about Sidney, the story about him seeing Sidney off at Aylsham Station was what he told my dad many years later so it must have stuck with him. It is one of the reasons, I knew I had to make this trip to Sidney's grave for my Grandad