Sidney John Lovell was born on Thursday, 9th February 1899 in Hemel Hempstead and baptised three weeks later on Wednesday, 1st March in St Mary’s Church. He was the ninth child born to James Lovell and Emily Sophia Taylor who had a large family of eleven children together. These were: James, Jessie Elizabeth, Edwin, George, Francis, Horace, Lily, Sidney John, Charles William and Doris May. An eleventh child is unknown and must have died at birth. James died in 1885 and Edwin in 1889 shortly after they were born and Lily died in 1903 aged six. Sidney’s father James was a "Boot and Shoemaker" and the family lived near or on the High Street in Hemel Hempstead, where the children grew up.

As soon as he reached his eighteenth birthday, Sidney travelled to Watford where he attested in February 1917 and enlisted with the Royal West Surrey Regiment. He was sent for basic training and just over a year later went to France, on the 20th March 1918. He was immediately posted to the 2nd Battalion London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers), which was being reinforced following heavy losses. The scale of the losses suffered by the 2/2nd London Regiment was recorded in the Battalion War Diaries at the end of March 1918, listing 651 officers and men, almost two thirds of the Battalion fighting strength. Sidney joined his unit at Besmé, twelve miles south of St. Quentin, as part of a Draft of 114 men on the 28th March 1918.

He was drafted to a newly formed Fusilier Battalion, consisting of men from the 2/2nd and 2/4th London and made ready to move away from Besmé. During the first week of April the Battalion moved north until it reached positions close to Villers-Bretonneux where, on the 23rd April, it was on alert and prepared for action. The first serious fighting experienced by Sidney came the following day when he fought in the Battle for Villers-Bretonneux which was re-taken and the old allied line re-established by 11:30 pm in the evening. The success came at a heavy price however, with many casualties inflicted on both sides and it was during this action that Sidney was mortally wounded. He subsequently succumbed to his injuries and died on Friday, 26th April 1918.

He had been in France for only thirty-eight days, with his unit for less than a month and was killed on the first day that he saw action.

Sidney was commemorated on the War Memorial Plaque in St. Mary's Church, High Street, Hemel Hempstead where he had been baptised and worshipped.

He is Remembered with Honour in Crouy British Cemetery, Crouy-Sur-Somme, Somme, France where he is interred in Grave I.E.6.

The inscription on his headstone, requested by his mother Emily, reads: “SON OF J.E. LOVELL 80 HIGH STREET HEMEL HEMPSTEAD, HERTS”

Sidney was only 19 years old when he died.

He was entitled to the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.