Budd, Sydney John
2633 Lance Corporal Sydney John Budd - 51st Battalion AIF
Sydney Budd was born in Mortlake Surrey England circa 1892 to Jacob and Lucy Budd. He was the second youngest of several siblings, with Harry (1878), Charles (1881), Fred (1883), Stanley (1885), Margaret (1887), May (1890) and Percy (1895).
In the 1881 Census, the Budd family had been living at St Anns Road 2 Caroline Terrace Tottenham in Middlesex. In 1891, the family were living in Mortlake, Surrey. In the 1901 census the family in shown as living in Isleworth Middlesex. In 1909 his mother Lucy died in Cornwall, and so Percy came with his father and older siblings to Australia and took up residence at 97 Glyde Street East Fremantle. (later renumbered to 53 Glyde Street)
(Photo below of family in the late 1890's - Sydney Budd front row sitting in front of his father)
Sydney was living with his father at 97 (53) Glyde Street East Fremantle but then went to the country town of Tammin where he was working as a teamster.
On the 27th March 1916 Sydney Budd enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was found to be fit for enlistment with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 2 & 1/2 inches;
Weight - 112lbs;
Chest Measurement - 32-24 inches;
Complexion - Fresh;
Eyes - Blue;
Hair - Fair.
Upon his successful enlistment Sydney was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to No.65 Depot Camp. He was taken through the basics of infantry work at this camp.
On the 3rd May 1916 Sydney was assigned to the 6th Reinforcements to the 51st Battalion AIF. He trained with this group in WA for the next few months. On the 10th October 1916 Sydney and his group entrained for Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship HMAT Suffolk and set sail for England.
After the long sea voyage the ship arrived at Plymouth Harbour on the 2nd December 1916. The men were then disembarked and sent to the 13th Training Battalion at Codford Camp.
Sydney would have the next two months in England undergoing further training. He was sent to France on the 4th February 1917 and after five days at the 4th Division Base Depot at Etaples, Sydney was taken on strength of the 51st Battalion on the 9th February 1917.
The 51st Battalion were then situated on the Somme battlefield near Flers. Not long after his arrival the Germans began their withdrawal to their pre-prepared defensive position known as the Hindenburg Line. The Australians and British followed up the German withdrawal closely and several sharp actions occurred around the Hindenburg Line Outpost villages.
The 51st Battalion were involved in and around Vaulx-Vraucourt in late March 1917 and then helped capture the village of Noreuil on the 2nd April 1917.
On the 11th April the 51st Battalion were in reserve when the 4th and 12th Brigades assaulted Bullecourt but many of the men were used as stretcher bearers to evacuate the wounded. Sydney came through this time unscathed.
In June 1917 the 51st Battalion were sent to Belgium where they took part in the Batlle of Messines. They were in the Messines sector from June to August 1917 and again Sydney came through safely.
In September the 51st Battalion were moved north west from Messines to Ypres where they would take part in the current offensive. Whether Sydney found out about his brother Harry's death while serving with the 28th battalion on the 20th September before he himself went into the line is unknown.
Sydney saw action at Polygon Woon on the 26th September 1917, not far from where his brother Harry was killed, and was wounded by shrapnel in the left shoulder and arm.
After treatment at the Field Ambulance Sydney was sent to the 3rd Canadian Casualty Clearing Station and was then sent to the 54th General Hospital. He had five days there before being sent to England on the 2nd October 1917.
On arrival in England Sydney was sent to the 5th Southern General Hospital in Portsmouth. He only spent a week there and was then transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford. He spent four days in this hospital and was then transferred to No.2 Command Depot Camp at Weymouth. On the 27th October he was transferred to No.3 Command Depot Camp at Hurdcott.
Sydney's fitness level was not deemed good enough to be sent straight back to France so he would spend a few more months in England. On the 5th January 1918 Sydney was sent to the Overseas Training Brigade Camp at Longbridge Deverell.
On the 1st February 1918 Sydney was sent to Southampton where he boarded a troopship for France. He then rejoined his unit on the 10th February 1918. The 51st Battalion were then holding the front line just south east of Ypres near Hollebeke.
On the 21st March 1918 the Germans broke through the Third and Fifth British Armies to the south and were making quick time for Amiens. The 3rd and 4th Australian Divisions were the first two Australian units sent south to the Somme to combat this threat. While the 4th Brigade was posted to Hebuterne, the 12th and 13th Brigades continued on to Dernancourt where they came into contact with the advancing Germans.
In late March and early April 1918 the men of the 12th and 13th Brigades were severely tested by the Germans. On April 4th/5th the 51st Battalion were initially in reserve when the Germans launched their large assault on the Dernancourt sector but were eventually brought into the fight. Casualties were high on both sides, but the German assault was resisted, with only a small section of ground taken by them. The 13th Brigade was then relieved from this front and was sent south to near Villers-Bretonneux.
On April 25th 1918 the Germans launched another assault on Villers-Bretonneux and managed to push back the British troops who were then holding the village. This village was crucial to the defence of Amiens so a counter attack was called for, the responsibility for which was given to the 13th and 15th Brigades. The counter attack was successful, with both Brigades largely encircling the village. The 51st had high casualties from German fire coming from a nearby Wood, which was overcome by a brave small party led by Lt Clifford Sadlier and Sgt Charlie Stokes. Lt Sadlier was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions, but inexplicably, Stokes, who participated in the action for a longer period, was only awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal.
Sydney survived this action with the 51st Battalion and were then sent to a support positions at Villers-Bretonneux. The Battalion remained in the Villers Bretonneux sector for the next few months.
On August 8th 1918 the advance from Villers-Bretonneux commenced which put the Germans on retreat. The Australians, British and Canadian divisions pushed the Germans back along the front and for the next few months kept advancing.
The 51st Battalion fought around the Somme River towards Bray and after further actions they fought their last action on September 18th 1918 near Le Verguier. The 51st Battalion were then withdrawn from the line for a well deserved rest.
On the 11th October 1918 Sydney was given a two week furlough to England and returned to France on the 28th October 1918.
The 4th Australian Division were then heading back to the front line when the Armistice was announced. They ended up being sent to what had been German occupied parts of Belgium and France.
On the 30th January 1919 Sydney was promoted to Lance Corporal and in February 1919 went to Brussels on leave and then had several more eeks with his unit.
On the 22nd April 1919 Sydney returned to England and was sent to No.4 Command Depot Camp at Hurdcott. He remained here waiting for his embarkation orders.
On the 1st June 1919 Sydney boarded the transport ship Somali and set sail for home, arriving at Fremantle on the 8th July 1919. He was then disembarked and sent to No.8 Australian General Hospital in South Terrace for a medical check up.
Sydney was then discharged from the AIF on the 15th August 1919.
Sydney stayed with his father in Glyde Street East Fremantle and then returned to farming out at Tammin.
Sydney's father Jacob died at his house at 43 George Street in East Fremantle in 1925.
Sydney spent the next thirty years farming at Yorkrakine in the Tammin shire.
In 1954 he retired and went to live at Anzac Terrace Bassendean. He was here for the next fifteen years but then moved to Mt Lawley.
Sydney died in Mt Lawley on the 21st February 1969 aged 78. He was cremated at Karrakatta cemetery.
(Budd family photo courtesy of Budd family ancestry page)