Sidney Bristow was born on 26th May 1895 in Chailey.  The 1901 census of England and Wales records him living with his parents and brothers and sisters at Grantham Cottage, North Common, Chailey.  His parents were William Bristow (aged 51 and working as a gardener) and Jane Bristow (aged 42).  Living with them in Chailey were their children: William Bristow (aged 24, a general agricultural labourer), Gilbert Bristow (aged 11), Nellie Bristow (aged 10), Sidney (aged six) and Dora Bristow (aged two).  The census taken ten years earlier shows there were also other siblings.  In 1891, additional children noted, with their ages at the time, were Lilly [sic] Bristow (11), Harry Bristow (six) and Rose Bristow (three).

 

Sidney enlisted with the Royal Navy on 12th May 1915, two weeks before his twentieth birthday.  He gave his place of birth as Lewes and his occupation as blacksmith.  He was five feet, five and a half inches tall, had brown hair, brown eyes and a fair complexion.  It was noted that he had a mark on his right leg caused by the removal of a varicose vein.  He enlisted for the duration of the war; his number was M13255 and his rating was Blacksmith’s Mate.  A note in the Remarks’ column of his service record states, “according to relatives this man’s full name is Sidney George Augustus Bristow”.

 

Sidney was stationed at Portsmouth (HMS Victory II) between 12th May and 5th June 1915 and then at HMS Fisgard between 6th June and 12th November.  On 13th November he joined HMS Invincible and he was serving on this battle-cruiser when she was sunk by SMS Derfflinger and Lützow at the Battle of Jutland on 31st May 1916.  There were only six survivors, Sidney Bristow numbered as one of the 1,021 crew members lost on Invincible.

 

On 23rd June 1916, The East Sussex News reported:

 

TWO CHAILEY SAILORS DROWNED

Blacksmith S Bristow and Seaman C Langridge of Chailey were drowned when HMS Invincible was sunk during The Battle off Jutland. 

 

Sidney Bristow is commemorated on the village war memorial on Chailey Green and on panel 20 of the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.  The Commonwealth War Graves’ Commission’s Debt of Honour Register notes that he was the son of William and Jane Bristow who were still living at Grantham Cottage, Chailey.

HMS Invincible was built by Sir W G Armstrong, Whitworth & Co Ltd.  She was laid down at Elswick, Newcastle on Tyne in April 1906 and completed in March 1909 at a cost of £1,767,515. Before Bristow joined her she had already taken part in the Battle of The Falkland Islands on 8th December 1914 where the British Fleet had sunk the German armoured cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau.  Although hit twenty two times during the engagement she suffered no fatalities and returned to Gibraltar where she was re-fitted in January and February of the following year.  At Jutland on 31st May, she was hit by a shell at 6.33pm which scored a direct hit on Q Turret and there was an almost instantaneous explosion that blew Invincible in half.  She sank within a few minutes.

Sidney Bristow’s three brothers, William Bristow, Gilbert Bristow and Harry Bristow all served their King and Country during the First World War.  All three survived.

 

Sources & Acknowledgements

 

• Sidney Bristow’s record of service is located at The National Archives in Kew, reference: ADM 188/1044
• Chailey Parish Magazine
• www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk
• The Commonwealth War Graves’ Commission’s Debt of Honour Register
• The East Sussex News
• Steve Rogers of The British War Memorials Project for permission to use the photograph of Sidney's name on the Portsmouth War Memorial which is reproduced on this page