THE HEROIC STORY OF THE 12YEARS OLD SIDNEY LEWIS, HE IS INDEED A GREAT SOLDIER....

 We have all at some point lied about our age to enable us to do things that we perhaps shouldn’t be doing.

Harmless things, like lying about our age to go to the pub; lying about our age to smoke; lying about our age to buy magazines we genuinely hope our mothers (or fathers) will not be featuring in. Either way we have all lied about our age at some point to do things we shouldn’t.

With that in mind, meet Sidney Lewis. In 1915 Sidney was just 12 years old when he ran away from home to lie about his age to a recruitment officer, who thought absolutely nothing of promptly enlisting this fine young chap into The British Army.

 We can only assume that early 1900’s British primary schools syllabus included Derren Browns sick mind skills, and that for the 10 months basic training with the East Sussex Regiment, Sidney used a wild concoction of psychology, suggestion, misdirection and magic to maintain the illusion to fellow recruits and training team alike, that he was a man ready for war – not a 12 year-old boy. 

It was luck Sidney then turned 13, because unbeknown to him, the 106th machine gun company who he had been drafted to on completion of training, was about to be sent to one of the bloodiest battles in human history.

The First day of Battle of the Somme was the darkest day in British military history. 10,000 British servicemen dead in the first morning alone, and 13-year-old Private Lewis was there, dishing out good news to enemies of the king from behind a Vickers Machine Gun. Sidney would continue to fight on bravely through the battle of the Somme until the tragic day that awaited so many like him finally arrived – The day his mum found out what he was up to. 

After sending his birth certificate to the War Office Private Lewis was instantly whisked off the front line and sent back home, probably to receive a telling off that rivalled the intensity of the Somme.

And for all the nay-sayers who say lightning doesn’t strike twice? In 1918 Sidney re-enlisted into the British Army… Still underage.

Thanks for reading, leave your thoughts in the comments section below.