Sydney J Favell

23777 Private Sydney J Favell, Royal Berkshire Regiment, also served under service number 203049.

Sydney John Favell appears in part 26 of the publication “Berkshire & the War”, published by the ‘Reading Standard’.  Listed as ‘J’ Favell, his address of 9 Donnington Gardens is reflected in the issuing documents that accompany his war medals.  He is shown as belonging to the 1/4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment and the caption against his portrait notes that at the time he was classified as sick.  This distinguished any injury or illness as not being a direct result of enemy action and therefore not being eligible for a pension should it result in discharge.  However, ‘sick’ covered illnesses such as trench foot or even severe shell shock, leading to much resentment at times. Members of the same battalion are also listed as sick, with others amongst them being wounded or ‘killed in action’ suggesting that the Battalion was posted abroad and it is likely that any illness could have been contracted at the front.

Sydney J Favell
Sydney's medals

Sydney was born in 1897 and would have been approximately 19 years old when the photograph was taken. He appears in the 1901 census at 3 years old, the only child of John and Ada Favell, living at Cardigan Road, Reading. His father was a Seed mans assistant and gave his place of birth as Goldington in Bedfordshire.  By the time of the second world war Sydney was working as a Costing clerk for a Motor Manufacturer and living in Basingstoke where he was also an Air Raid Warden for the Council.  My guess is that he was probably working locally at the Thorneycroft Factory where they were making lorries.  Sydney’s war medals were offered for sale on Ebay, complete with award documents and the original posting box suggesting that he chose never to wear them.

Ancestry.co.uk contains some information about Sydney that includes a photograph taken with his wife Winifred on their 50th Wedding anniversary.

Sydney's 50th wedding anniversary