Sidney Harold Tom Lister. Image courtesy thetreeofus.net
Sidney Harold Tom Lister was born in Orange on 11 October 1895. He was the ninth of eleven children born to Thomas Sydney Lister and his wife Emily Australia (nee Tom).
Sidney was the grandson of Bathurst pioneer John Hardman Lister, who was the publican of The Rocks Inn from 1846 until his accidental death in 1850. Sid’s uncle was John Lister who first discovered gold in the Orange district.
When Sidney was a young boy his family moved to Day Street in Marrickville, and he attended West Marrickville Public School.
When 21 year old Sidney enlisted in the First World War in July 1917 he was working for Sydney Railways as a booking clerk. Private Lister was assigned to the 17th Battalion, 21st Reinforcement and embarked from Sydney for overseas service on 31 October 1917.
Sidney disembarked in Devonport on 26 December 1917 and was marched in to the 5th Training Battalion at Fovant. On 1 April he proceeded to France and on 9 April was marched out to his unit at Beaumarais.
Private Lister survived just five weeks on the Western Front; he was killed in action on 14 May 1918, aged 22 years. He is buried at the Dive Copse British Cemetery at Sailly-le-Sec in France.
Sidney Harold Lister is commemorated on Marrickville War Memorial and on panel number 83 on the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
Members of the 21st Reinforcements of the 17th Battalion. Sid Lister is in the back row on the far right. Image courtesy Australian War Memorial.
