Sidney Frank Rayner †

This page attempts to set out the key events of Sidney Frank Rayner’s life, with detailed references. His forename is sometimes given as Sydney. His brother, George Thomas Rayner, is also listed on the roll. See the bottom of the page for automatically generated links to blog posts which refer to this page.

Personal life

Born:	Before 10 November 1884	At:	Sutton, Surrey
Birth registered:	4th quarter 1884	Epsom Registration District
Married:	Before 30 December 1916	At:	?
Marriage registered:	4th quarter 1914	Kingston Registration District
Married:	Ethel M West
Died:	10 November 1918	At:	Preston Hall Military Hospital, Aylesford, Kent
Buried:	Benhilton (All Saints) Churchyard
Death registered:	4th quarter 1918	Malling Registration District, Kent
Aged:	34

Ringing

Learnt to ring:	Benhilton, Surrey? c1906	Association membership:	Surrey Association	Elected:	c1906
Peals:	At least 3

Work

Occupation (1901):	Grocer’s porter
Occupation (1911):	Grocer’s porter

War service

Service:	Army	Rank:	Private	Enlisted:	?
Corps:	East Surrey Regiment	Subunit:	?	Number:	24076	Date:
Transferred	Labour Corps		437 Agricultural Company		255944	Before 10 November 1918
Campaign medals:		British War Medal and Victory Medal

Life events

Date Modifier	Date	Event	Description/Notes	Sources
On	7 June 1880	Parents’ marriage	Thomas Rayner and Rhoda Miller married at Godstone Parish Church on 7 June 1880. The marriage was registered 2nd quarter 1880, Godstone Registration District, Surrey. Thomas was 25, Rhoda 32. Thomas’s occupation is given as cab driver, but his address at the time of the marriage is unfortunately unreadable on the certificate, except that it was in St Saviour’s Parish – this would often imply Southwark, but the other word does not resemble that at all. His father was a coachman. Rhoda was living in Godstone, her father was a labourer.	FreeBMD1; FreeBMD2; SurreyParish1
On	12 December 1880	Birth	Just over six months after his parents’ marriage, George Thomas Rayner was born in Sutton, Surrey on 12 December 1880. The birth was registered 1st quarter 1881, Epsom Registration District. He was baptised at Beddington on 3 April 1881 (coincidentally the day the 1881 census was taken).	FreeBMD3; EWParishTranscript1; Census1881
On	3 April 1881	Census	George Thomas Rayner, listed as 4 months old though that contradicts the information in his baptismal register entry, was living with his parents Thomas (26) a grocer’s assistant, and Rhoda (33) at 4 Claremont Terrace, Lind Road, Sutton	Census1881
On	30 August 1882	Birth of Brother	Henry William Rayner, born Sutton, Surrey, registered 4th quarter 1882, Epsom Registration District. According to a transcript of the baptismal register he was born on 30 August and baptised on 3 December 1882.	FreeBMD4; EWParishTranscript2; Census1891
Before	10 November 1884	Birth	Sidney Frank Rayner, born Sutton, Surrey, registered 4th quarter 1884, Epsom Registration District. Forename given as Sydney in some sources throughout his life. No baptismal record has been traced, even in transcript form. His age at death on 10 November 1918 is given as 34, so he must have been born before 10 November 1884	FreeBMD5; Census1891; FreeBMD12; CWGC
On	5 April 1891	Census	By 1891 Sydney [sic] Frank (6), scholar was living with his parents Thomas (37), general labourer and Rhoda (42) at 6 Elm Grove, Sutton. Also present were his brothers George Thomas Rayner (10), scholar and Henry William (8), scholar.	Census1891
On	31 March 1901	Census	In 1901 the family were still living at 6 Elm Grove. Sidney Frank (16) was now a stationer’s porter. He was living with his parents, Thomas (45) cab driver, and Rhoda (52). Also in the house were his brothers: Henry William (18) and George Thomas (20), both grocer’s porters.	Census1901
On	7 February 1906	Peal	Sidney rang the treble to a peal of Grandsire Triples at Carshalton, George rang the third. It was the first for both the Rayner brothers. Also marked as the first peal for H Rayner, presumably Henry William Rayner. John Webb rang the second, his first peal as conductor.	BN1
Before	30 September 1907	Marriage of brother	William Henry Rayner married Beatrice Shiner, the marriage was registered in the 3rd quarter 1907 in the Steyning Registration District, Sussex.	FreeBMD6; FreeBMD7; Census1911
On	10 November 1909	Peal	Sidney rang the treble to a peal of Grandsire Triples at Benhilton. It is the first by either of the Rayner brothers that has been traced, but it is not marked as his first peal. John Webb rang the second.	BN2
On	29 May 1910	Quarter peal	Sidney rang the third while George rank the fifth to a quarter peal of Grandsire Triples at Benhilton on 29 May 1910. John Webb rang the sixth.	BN3
On	9 November 1910	Peal	Sidney rang the second to a peal of Grandsire Triples at Benhilton on 9 November 1910, his first inside. John Webb rang the fourth.	BN4
On	2 April 1911	Census	Sidney Frank Rayner (26) a grocer’s porter, was living with his parents, Thomas (55) cab drive, and Rhoda (63), who had been married for 30 years and three children, all living. Also in the household was George Thomas Rayner (30) also a grocer’s porter. Henry William (28) man servant, was living with his wife Beatrice (26, born St Botolph, Brumber, Sussex), cook domestic in the household of the Hoskyns-Abrahamhall family, Rubers Law, West Byfleet, Surrey. Also in the household were two sons of the owner, Antony Leigh Egerton Hoskyns-Abrahall (7) and Andrew John Chandos Hoskyns-Abrahall (5), but neither the owner or his wife were present on census night; however, there was also a nurse domestic, Mary Haltley (73) and Edith Emily Kenninson (15) a nursemaid.	Census1911; Census1911-2
On	14 May 1911	Touch	Sidney rang the second for a touch of 1008 changes of Grandsire Triples at Benhilton, rung for Sunday service. John Webb rang the fourth.	RW1
On	17 March 1912	Quarter peal	Sidney rang the second to a quarter peal of Grandsire Triples at Benhilton rung for the service on Sunday 17 March 1912. John Webb rang the seventh	RW2
On	31 March 1912	Quarter peal	Sidney rang the treble and George the second to a quarter peal of Plain Bob Major at Benhilton in the evening of Sunday 31 March 1912. John Webb rang the fourth. The quarter peal marked the 14th wedding anniversary of F Ford, who was ringing the fifth.	RW3
On	2 March 1913	Quarter peal	Sidney rang the second and George the tenor to a quarter peal of Grandsire Triples at Benhilton, with John Webb conducting from the seventh.	RW4
On	13 April 1913	Quarter peal	Sidney rang the second, and George the sixth, to a quarter of Oxford Bob Triples at Benhilton on 13 April 1913. John Webb again conducted from the seventh.	RW5
On	9 November 1913	Quarter peals	Sidney rang the second to a quarter peal of Grandsire Triples for morning service, and the treble to quarter peal of Oxford Triples for evening service, on 9 November 1913 at Benhilton. John Webb rang the treble for the first and is listed as conductor of the second, though he is not named by a bell.	BN5
On	29 March 1914	Quarter peal	Sidney rang the second and George the tenor to a quarter peal of Grandsire Triples for morning service at Benhilton on Sunday 29 March 1914. John Webb conducted from the fifth.	BN6
On	24 May 1914	Quarter peal	Sidney rang the treble to a quarter peal of Grandsire Triples at Benhilton on Sunday 24 May 1914. John Webb conducted from the seventh. Rung for Empire Day and the birthdays of the wives of John Webb and F Ford (Mr F Ford was ringing the fourth).	BN7
Before	30 December 1914	Marriage	Sidney Frank Rayner married Ethel M West, the marriage was registered in the 4th quarter 1914 in the Kingston Registration District.	FreeBMD8; FreeBMD9
After	1 January 1916	Posted overseas	At some point after 1 January 1916, Sidney was posted overseas with the East Surrey Regiment (he was eligible only for the British War Medal and Victory Medal, not the 1914-15 Star or 1914 Star that he would have received if he had gone overseas before that date). Unfortunately no service record has been found, nor an entry in the Surrey Recruitment Registers, so his original enlistment date is not known. Neither does the medal roll indicate which battalion of the East Surrey Regiment he served with. He subsequently transferred to the Labour Corps (again no date is known) which suggests he was medically downgraded for some reason, possibly wound or sickness.	MIC1; MedalRoll1
Before	30 December 1916	Marriage of brother	The marriage of George Thomas Rayner and Ethel May Galton was registered in the Woolwich Registration District in the 4th quarter 1916. As yet no further details of the wedding have been found. However, a photograph of Ethel can be found on a family history website.	FreeBMD10; FreeBMD11
On	23 October 1918	Brother posted overseas	On 23 October 1918 George was probably posted to 7th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers in France. The medal cards and roll list only one George Rayner who served with the Royal Fusiliers, which is the regiment given on the roll of honour, but there is no direct evidence to confirm the connection between the George Rayner in official records and this George Thomas Rayner as no service record or Recruitment Register entry has been found. 7th Battalion was part of 190th Brigade in 63rd Division (this was originally a Royal Navy formation but had been absorbed by the army in 1916, though there was still a proportion of Royal Marines and RNVR personnel). Between 5-7 November 1918 the division participated in the passage of the Grand Honelle, part of the Final Advance in Picardy.	MIC2; MedalRoll2
On	10 November 1918	Death	Sidney Frank Rayner died at Preston Hall Military Hospital, Aylesford, Kent, on 10 November 1918. He was then serving with No 437 Agricultural Company, Labour Corps, which was based at Maidstone. The roll of honour lists him as killed, while Soldiers Died in the Great War lists him as “died”. The cemetery registers of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission do not give a cause of death. It may be that he died in some sort of accident while working with the agricultural company, but the hospital specialised in treating soldier who had been gassed or were suffering with TB or other lung complaints, so it is possibly more likely that one of those was the cause, perhaps exacerbated by the Spanish Flu that was then becoming epidemic. His death was registered in the Malling Registration District, Kent in the 4th quarter 1918. He was buried in Benhilton churchyard, near the west boundary, and within sound of the bells he had spent so much time ringing.	FreeBMD12; CWGC; SDGW; Effects

Sources

FreeBMD

1. FreeBMD1: Marriages Jun 1880 – Rayner Thomas
2. FreeBMD2: Marriages Jun 1880 – Miller Rhoda
3. FreeBMD3: Births Mar 1881 – Rayner George Thomas
4. FreeBMD4: Births Dec 1882 – Rayner Henry William
5. FreeBMD5: Births Dec 1884 – Rayner Sidney Frank
6. FreeBMD6: Marriages Sep 1907 – Rayner Henry William
7. FreeBMD7: Marriages Sep 1907 – Rayner Henry William
8. FreeBMD8: Marriages Dec 1914 – Rayner Sydney F
9. FreeBMD9: Marriages Dec 1914 – West Ethel M
10. FreeBMD10: Marriages Dec 1916 – Rayner George Thomas
11. FreeBMD11: Marriages Dec 1916 – Galton Ethel May
12. FreeBMD12: Deaths Dec 1918 – Rayner Sidney

Surrey parish registers

1. SurreyParish1: Marriage of Thomas Raynes[sic] and Rhoda Miller, 7 June 1880, St Nicholas, Godstone. P25/1/51 (subscription required). Surname incorrectly trasncribed, Rayner in GRO registration.

England and Wales christening record transcripts

1. EWParishTranscript1: Christening Place: Sutton (near Croydon), England George Thomas Rayner, born 12 December 1880, baptised 3 April 1881.
2. EWParishTranscript2: Christening Place: Sutton (near Croydon), England Henry William Rayner, born 12 30 August 1882, baptised 3 December 1882.

Censuses

1. Census1881: RG 11/758; Folio: 89; Page: 59; Schedule 325 – Raynor[sic] household, 4 Claremont Terrace, Lind Road, Sutton. (subscription required)
2. Census1891: RG 12/544; Folio: 87; Page: 22; Schedule: 21 – Raynes[sic] household, 6 Elm Grove, Sutton. (subscription required)
3. Census1901: RG 13/581 Folio 51 Page 34 Schedule Number 172 – Rayner household, 6 Elm Grove, Sutton.
4. Census1911: RG 14/2936 and RG 78/101 Registration District 31 Subdistrict 1 Enumeration District 14 Schedule Number 73 – Rayner household, 6 Elm Grove, Sutton.
5. Census1911-2: RG 14/3009 and RG 78/105 Registration District 32 Subdistrict 2 Enumeration District 14 Schedule Number 161 – Hoskyns-Abrahall (indexed as Abrahall only) household, Rubers Law, West Byfleet.

Bell News

1. BN1: Volume 24, Issue 1246 (17 Feb 1906), Page 597
2. BN2: Volume 28, Issue 1443 (27 November 1909), Page 488
3. BN3: Volume 29, Issue 1475 (9 July 1910), Page 268
4. BN4: Volume 29, Issue 1496 (3 December 1910), Page 525
5. BN5: Volume 32, Issue 1651 (22 November 1913), Page 449
6. BN6: Volume 33, Issue 1670 (4 April 1914), Page 60 (numbered 48)
7. BN7: Volume 33, Issue 1679 (6 June 1914), Page 165

The Ringing World

1. RW1: 26 May 1911, p162 – Sidney only
2. RW2: 29 March 1912, p217
3. RW3: 17 May 1912, p343
4. RW4: 29 November 1912, p364 (p820 of pdf)
5. RW5: 28 March 1913, p218-219
6. RW6: 11 July 1913, p35 (p479 of pdf)

Military records

1. MIC1: WO 372/16/162526 Medal card of Rayner, Sidney F
2. MIC2: WO 372/16/161989 Medal card of Rayner, George
3. MedalRoll1: WO 329/1815 Labour Corps other ranks: medal rolls LC/101B91 p9256 page image here
4. MedalRoll2: WO 329/774 Royal Fusiliers other ranks: medal rolls TP/104B30 p3824 page image here
5. CWGC: Casualty details – Rayner, Sidney Frank No cause of death is shown in the original cemetery registers (via Alan Seymour).
6. SDGW: Rayner, Sidney Frank (subscription required) Soldiers Died in the Great War
7. Soldiers’ Effects Registers: National Army Museum; Chelsea, London, England; Soldiers’ Effects Records, 1901-60; NAM Accession Number: 1991-02-333; Record Number Ranges: 818501-820000; Reference: 497 p68, Sidney Frank Rayner

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