Sydney was born in 1885 to John Thomas and Eliza. He was living at 6 Crawley Green Road in 1911 with his mother, a straw hat machinist, four sisters, Olive, a milliner aged 19, Doris 12, Marjorie 10, Elsie 7 and his 4 year old brother Leslie. Sydney was working in the hat factory warehouse. He had attended Luton Grammar School & is remembered on the Roll Of Honour plaque found at Stockwood Park.
John Percy Wood, one of sixteen children, from Slip End, nr. Luton enlisted as a volunteer aged 18 and joined Lord Kitcheners Army on the 26th May 1915 at Luton, he was assigned Army number 2219, he undertook a medical examination, to test his fitness for active service, at Wardown Park Hospital and was judged as good.
He was assigned to the 2nd/5th Staffordshire Royal Field Artillery Battery, 2/3rd North Midland Artillery Brigade, he undertook his training at Biscot Huts, an Army Camp near to Biscot Mill, Luton.
Harry Miles was a brave soldier who won the Military Medal but on his return he became involved in the Luton Peace Riots of July 1919 and was convicted of rioting. He died in an air-raid on Luton in August 1940.
