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Sydney Walter Woodhurst was born at Southend-on-Sea, Essex on November 22nd 1921 to parents Sydney Arthur Woodhurst and his wife Maud Edna (nee) Grant. The GRO reference is [Birth Index: Rochford 4a 1284, 1922 (March)].
The following information was kindly supplied by Sydney Walter and his daughter.
As a young man he was a keen athlete, footballer, cricketer and tennis player. At the age of 20, anticipating the onset of war, he married Olive Vera Mead at St. John's Church, Leytonstone E11 on August 15th 1942 [Marriage Index: Essex S.W. 4a 529, 1942 (Sept)]. She was born on February 12th 1922.
He received his call-up papers in the Spring of 1943 and was sent to the Royal Signals regiment for training. He was posted to Mhow, India, early in 1944, and then attached to the 14th Army, serving in the 26th Indian Division, Royal Signals in the Arakan, Burma. From there, the Division sailed down the coast to invade and secure Ramree Island. This mission was successfully accomplished and, after a few months stay, the Division was sent to Rangoon by sea. Fortunately, the Japanese had retreated a few days earlier, due to the land forces pressing down from the north. After a short stay in Rangoon, the Division sailed to Madras, India, and then moved inland to Bangalore to re-equip. They were then sent down to invade Kuala Lumpur but, again fortunately, the Japanese had already surrendered after the bombing of Japan. The Division was diverted to Sumatra, landing at Medan. After a short leave back in the U.K. Sydney was returned to India and sent to Secunderabad where he remained as quarter-master sergeant, until he was returned home and discharged in 1947.
After the war, he and his wife lived at 66, Mornington Road, Leytonstone, Sydney working as a sheet-metal worker and Olive as a legal secretary. Their daughter Patricia Anne was born in January 1948. A few years later, they moved to 190, Albert Road, Leyton, E10. In 1955, with a partner, Sydney set up his own business in heating and ventilating sheet-metal work, which continued for 27 years. In 1958 they were able to buy their own home, and the family moved to the village of West Horndon, Essex. A further move in 1968 took them to Herongate near Brentwood, and shortly before his retirement they moved again to Thorpe Bay near Southend-on-Sea. They subsequently moved to East Sussex, nearer to their daughter. Olive Vera died on January 13th 2005 [Death Index: Hastings & Rother B89A 456/1b : 210, 2005 (January)].