Sydney Riachard Elworthy, known as Dick, was born in St. Lukes, Finsbury, London on Saturday, 31st October 1891 and baptised on Tuesday, 29th March 1892 at St. Matthews, City Road, Islington. He was the second son of Frederick Frank Elworthy and Harriet Priscilla Combridge who had six children together who were Mary Clarissa, Frederick John, Sydney Richard, George Bruce (known as Bruce), Leonard Maurice and an unknown child who died at birth. Fred, Bruce and Leonard all served in the Great War and all survived, although Leonard, also a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Flying Corps (subsequently the R.A.F.), was reported missing just a week after Dick was buried but turned up safe and well as a prisoner of war in Germany. Leonard served with the R.A.F. for fifteen years rising to the rank of Squadron Leader. He was tragically killed in June 1932 when his parachute failed to open near Andover, Hampshire after he had bailed out of a Boulton Paul P.29 Sidestrand Mk III that had suffered engine failure. He was thirty-seven years old.

Sydney’s father Frederick was a “Veterinary Surgeon” who came from Devon originally, where his own father had also been a “Vet”. He ran a successful practice, first in London where he met and married Sydney’s mother Harriet and where all the children were born. He brought the family to Hemel Hempstead around 1897 when he bought Grove Hill, a large house standing to the north of Hemel Hempstead in rolling farmland and from where he continued to practice his profession. Frederick died on the 4th December 1902 aged forty-one leaving an estate valued at £25,000 (£2.2M today).

Dick and all of his brothers attended Berkhamsted School which he left in 1909 and went into the paper manufacturing business although it is not known if this was with John Dickinsons at Apsley of the British Paper Company at Frogmore Mills. He left this work in 1913 when he sailed for Rangoon on the Herefordshire, a ship of the Bibby Line and his occupation was recorded in the passenger manifest as “Gentleman”. He had in fact obtained a position as a “Planter” on a Tea and Rubber Plantation in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and this was to be his life until he returned to volunteer for war service.

He applied for a commission with the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and sailed back to England, where he arrived in May 1917 and was summoned to enlist to undergo the necessary training with an Officer Cadet Unit, in which he would be an “Air Mechanic Third Class”. He was described as being six feet tall and under trade he is listed as a “Miscellaneous aviator”, no doubt associated with his job as a “Tea Planter”. Following successful completion of the instruction course after ninety-nine days, he was awarded a temporary commission as 2nd Lieutenant on the General List and was discharged from his position as an “Air Mechanic”. His Commanding Officer noted that Dick was of “good” character and was a “Keen and efficient” recruit and on his discharge he was immediately sent to Farnborough, Hampshire to his new unit, attached to the Artillery & Infantry Co-operation School, Worthy Down.

He continued to train and on the 1st April 1918 he was promoted 2nd Lieutenant and awaited posting overseas. Before he could go however, he suffered serious injuries at as the result of a crash when he was flying a Bristol Fighter (C894) on the 31st August. Despite being rushed to St Thomas' Hospital, Winchester for treatment he succumbed to his injuries the following day. A fellow officer, Lieutenant Albert Jacques Tremblay, also died in the crash

Dick died on Sunday, 1st September 1918 and four days later, his body was returned to Hemel Hempstead where he was buried on Friday, 6th in Heath Lane Cemetery. He was buried in the same grave as his father Frederick and they would both be joined the youngest of the brothers, Leonard in 1932 and by their wife and mother Harriet in 1943 when she died aged eighty-eight.

A series of announcements and reports were published in the Hemel Gazette in the weeks immediately following his death which included a more detailed description of his funeral and internment at Heath Lane Cemetery.

He was commemorated on the War Memorial Plaque in St. Mary’s Church, High Street, Hemel Hempstead where he and his family had worshipped.

Dick is Remembered with Honour in Hemel Hempstead (Heath Lane) Cemetery, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, where he is interred in Grave SB. 36.

He was 26 years old when he died.

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