War Memorial
Sidney Batchelor was born in Leigh on 17 November 1896 and was baptised the following February at St Mary's, Leigh. His parents, George and Annie Laura Batchelor, brought up their family at 22 Powdermills in the village. As a boy, Sidney attended the Sunday School at Hildenborough, and in 1906 he was presented with a bible there — a book he would later carry with him when he went to war.
When the First World War came, Sidney enlisted at Harlesden. He first served with the Royal Fusiliers under the number 24825, before transferring to the Machine Gun Corps (Infantry). By 1918 he was a Private, service number 35950, in 'B' Company, Number 2 Section of the 41st Battalion, and he wore the Machine Gun Corps cap badge.
Sidney was killed in action on 20 July 1918, at just 21 years of age. He was laid to rest at La Clytte Military Cemetery near Ieper in Belgium, and his campaign medal record confirms his overseas service.
Back home, his name was added to the war memorials in both Leigh and Hildenborough — the two communities whose young men he represented. His story is preserved here in the village archive as a reminder of the local lives given during the Great War.