Sydney Herbert Gidley 1881 - 1917

Sydney Herbert Gidley was another naval casualty of the war. He was a Petty Officer, RN, when HMS Jason, a minesweeper, was sunk by a German mine on April 3, 1917. He was aged 35.
Sydney Herbert Gidley was the fifth child of Charles Edwin Gidley and his first wife, Jessie Matilda nee Garland. He was born on October 1, 1881 in Plumstead, near Woolwich, in Kent. Charles Edwin, whose ancestors can be traced to Buckfastlrigh in Devon, had ten children with his first wife, then another seven with his second wife. Only three years separated the first and second families, and Charles Edwin was not able to marry his second wife legally until his seventeenth child was five years old. The children of his first wife remained with their mother in Plumstead and several took off for far-flung corners of the world, including India and New Zealand. Three sons were either in the Merchant Navy, Royal Navy or the Royal Naval Reserve.
Sydney Herbert Gidley never married, and his next of kin was named as his sister, Jessie Laidlaw of Strood, Kent.
In 2008 a collector acquired Sydney's naval service medals, by which we can trace some of Sydney's naval career. Sydney was awarded the Naval General Service Medal (Persian Clasp) for the Persian Gulf 1909-1914 - a little known campaign where Sydney's ship, HMS Mashona (a small armed launch), was involved in preventing gun running through Muscat across the Persian Gulf to the ever-restive North West Frontier in India. Because of the British naval blockade this arms trafficking had largely ceased by 1914. The medal was delivered to Sydney on HMS Jason in October 1915. He was also awarded the Royal Navy Good Conduct Medal, which was sent to HMS Jason in March 1915.
HMS Jason was sunk by a mine off the island of Coll, in the Inner Hebrides, whilst attempting to keep the shipping lanes clear. Sydney's body was never recovered and he is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial, pictured above.