Sidney James Day

A German stick grenade landed among five British soldiers. Corporal Sidney James Day did not hesitate.

He seized it and hurled it out of the trench before it exploded. His action east of Hargicourt on 26 August 1917 saved the men beside him and helped earn the Suffolk Regiment corporal the Victoria Cross.

Born on 3 July 1891 in Norwich, Norfolk, Day worked as a butcher before enlisting in September 1914. Serving as number 15092 with the 9th (Service) Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, he first deployed to France on 31 August 1915.

At Loos that September, he tried to carry the wounded Lieutenant Thomas Tearle Stevens to safety. A sniper killed Stevens during the attempt. Day was himself wounded but eventually made his way back. He returned to the Western Front and suffered further wounds during the September 1916 Somme fighting associated with the Quadrilateral. Recovery in Britain interrupted his front-line service again.

By August 1917, Day was a corporal with the 11th (Service) Battalion. At Hargicourt he commanded a bombing section clearing enemy trenches. His VC citation records that he killed two machine-gunners, captured four prisoners and went forward alone to restore contact with neighbouring troops. Returning to his section, he threw clear the grenade that threatened two officers and three other ranks. He then finished clearing the trench and held an advanced position for 66 hours under shell and rifle-grenade fire. His leadership sustained the men through the prolonged defence.

The London Gazette announced his Victoria Cross in October 1917, issue 30338, page 10678. King George V presented it at Buckingham Palace on 9 January 1918. Day subsequently returned to the front. Wounded and captured on 10 April 1918 during the Battle of the Lys, he remained a prisoner until after the Armistice. He transferred to the Class Z Reserve in April 1919, retaining the rank of corporal.

Civilian life took him from Norwich to Portsmouth. He and his wife ran the Sidney Day VC Tearoom, which was destroyed in the Blitz. He later worked as a dockyard messenger, while the effects of wartime wounds and ill health continued to shape his life. Sidney James Day died in Portsmouth on 17 July 1959 and was buried in Milton Cemetery. His story joins extraordinary trench courage with the quieter struggle to rebuild a life after war.