Sidney Bristow was the first cousin of my grandmother, Lucy Bristow. In other words, Lucy and Sidney had the same grandparents, namely James and Mary (nee Whitington) Bristow. Lucy was the daughter of their son Frederick (b. 1859) and Sidney was the son of their boy William (b.1850).
Sidney - full name Sidney George Augustus Bristow - was born in 1895.
In the 1911 census Sidney is living with his parents at Grantham Cottages, North Common, Chailey. His occupation is given as "blacksmith's sticker", Sidney is 16 years old and single.
During the First World War, Sidney joined the Royal Navy. He enlisted on 12th May 1915 for the full duration of the war; this was two weeks before his twentieth birthday. His number was M132255. according to his naval records, Sidney was five feet, five and a half inches tall; he had brown hair, brown eyes and a fair complexion. It is noted that he had a scar on his right leg caused by the removal of a varicose vein. His rating was Blacksmith's Mate.
Sidney began his naval career stationed at Portsmouth. After training, on 13th November 1915, he joined HMS Invincible.
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| HMS Invincible |
During Sidney's service on board Invincible the ship formed part of the Third Battlecruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet. The squadron was commanded by Rear Admiral H.L.A Hood who made Invincible his flagship.In April 1916 the Third and First Battlecruiser Squadrons made a sortie in response to the German bombardment of Yarmouth and Lowestoft. The squadrons failed to find the German ships, but on the way back the Invincible was rammed by the patrol yacht Goissa. Goissa's bow was embedded in Invincible's side which partially stoved-in. As a result of the damage Invincible made her way at reduced speed to Rosyth for repairs.
At the end of May 1916 the entire Grand Fleet was in the North Sea anticipating a breakout from its home ports by the German High Seas Fleet. It was whilst engaged in the operations that followed that the Invincible was fatally hit in an exchange of gunfire with German forces. It is is believed that a shell penetrated the front of a turret which blew off the roof and detonated the midship magazines. The explosions that followed blew Invincible in half. There were 1026 officers and men aboard the vessel. Only six survived. Sidney's body was never found.
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| HMS Invincible exploding after being hit by enemy fire |
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| Invincible broke in two |
Click here to see Sidney's details at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Click here for a full list of the men who died on HMS Invincible
Click here to see video of the wreck of HMS Invincible
Click here to find out more about the Battle of Jutland
Click here for more about HMS Invincible
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