POSTINS, Sidney C

Sidney Postins lived in Beech Road, Norton, and attended Oldswinford C of E School. When war came, he volunteered for the Warwicks and joined the 11th Battalion in the 37th Division. They crossed to France in July 1915 and after some time in quiet sectors started training for the battle of the Somme. Sidney Postins and his comrades were close enough to the front line near La Boisselle when the great attack of the first day started at 7.30 a.m. on the 1st July, but they had little idea of how serious the casualties were. In front of them were the 34th Division which suffered the worst casualties of all the units that took part in that horrific first day. Eight battalions, including the 11th Warwicks, took their place. They went straight into the front line and held it. On 31st July the battalion were again in the line near High Wood where ‘Intermediate Trench’ was a particular obstacle. It was ‘shared’ by German and British troops and several efforts were made to win control of this crucial line. All had failed. On the 13th it was the turn of the Warwicks. However, German shelling and heavy machine gun fire produced the same result. The cost to the battalion was twelve killed, and these included Private Sidney Postins. He is buried in the nearby cemetery at Caterpillar Valley (VIII C 21) and commemorated on the Stourbridge, Oldswinford church and Oldswinford C of E School Memorials.