War Memorial
Among the names recorded on the Leigh War Memorial is that of Sidney James Leonard Horan, a young man whose life was shaped by the village and cut short by the Second World War.
Sidney grew up at Church Hill in Leigh, where his parents, William James Francis Horan and Charlotte Horan, made their home. His father served the village as caretaker of Leigh School. The household appears on the 1938 Electoral Register, which listed William, Charlotte and their son Sidney together. It is worth noting that such registers only recorded children once they had reached the age of 21, so Sidney's presence on the roll reflects his adulthood.
Sidney served as a Private in the 2nd Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment, with the service number 5507230. He died on 25 April 1944, at the age of 28. He is buried in the Berlin 1939-45 War Cemetery.
His name is remembered locally on the Leigh War Memorial, keeping his connection to the village alive.