Sydney Caine was born on January 24, 1893 in Ashton-under-Lyne. In 1911 he was a 16 years old Grocer’s Assistant living at 48 Cranbrook St, Ashton with his parents and his three younger brothers: Arthur Edward Caine, George Rayner Caine and Leonard Caine.
In April 1913, his brother Arthur Edward Caine went to Victoria, British Columbia, to stay with their half-brother Percy Caine who had emigrated there in 1901. Not long after the outbreak of war, Arthur returned to England arriving in Liverpool on January 24, 1915.
9th Manchesters
Syd Caine joined the 9th Battalion, Manchester Regiment on October 17, 1914 the same day as his best friend Arthur Slater. His service number was 2680. They underwent basic training with the 2/9th Manchesters at Southport and on July 5, 1915 sailed to Gallipoli arriving on the 23rd. They fought in the Battle of Krithia Vineyard in early August and endured the brutal front line trench warfare and harsh conditions that followed.
On September 22nd Syd was admitted to the Number 11 Casualty Clearing Station with jaundice and evacuated from the peninsula on the Hospital Ship Ausonia, arriving in Malta on September 28. He rejoined the Base Depot at Alexandria on December 7th and was classified fit for active service (Class A). He was then shipped to Mudros where he rejoined the Battalion on January 3, 1916 after they had left Gallipoli for good. The 9th Battalion, Manchester Regiment sailed from Mudros to Egypt in late January 1916 where Syd spent the next year with them defending the Suez Canal from attack by the Turks.
Royal Navy
Back home in Ashton, Syd’s brother George had enlisted with the Royal Navy on September 16, 1915 and his brother Arthur followed him on January 4, 1916. Both of them underwent basic training at the Naval Barracks at Devonport before being deployed to their respective ships; George to HMS Collingwood on December 4, 1915 and Arthur to HMS Indefatigable on April 9, 1916. Back in Canada, their half-brother Percy Caine joined the 103rd Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force on December 11, 1915 and deployed to England in June 1916 where he served in a support role at Seaford and Hastings until returning to Canada in 1918.
On May 31, 1916 Arthur Edward Caine’s ship, HMS Indefatigable, was sunk with the loss of all but 3 hands at the Battle of Jutland. HMS Collingwood was also there and George must have witnessed his brother’s ship being hit, exploding and sinking. Their parents received the following message from the Admiralty:
“I regret to have to inform you that Arthur Edward Caine, rated ordinary seaman, is believed to have been on board H.M.S. Indefatigable when that vessel was sunk in action. Under these circumstances it is feared that in the absence of any evidence to the contrary he must be regarded as having lost his life.”
The Saturday June 17, 1916 edition of the Ashton Reporter carried the following tribute the Caine brothers’ military service:
Egypt 1916
Back in Egypt, Syd served with the 9th Battalion, Manchester Regiment Scouts along with his old friend Arthur Slater.
In November 1916 Syd injured his left knee and was admitted to 31st General Hospital in Port Said. Syd spent two months in hospital rejoining the 42nd Division Base Depot in Alexandria on January 8, 1917.
Royal Engineers
Shortly after rejoining the Division Syd was sent to Signals School for a month subsequently joining the Signals Company. Meanwhile the 42nd Division sailed for France on March 4, 1917 leaving Syd in Egypt.
A month later he was admitted to the Citadel Hospital in Cairo with a broken collar bone and was discharged 4 weeks later on April 11th. He spent the next 4 months at Serapeum, Cairo and on August 17, 1917 was officially transferred from the 1/9th Manchesters to the 3rd East Lancs Royal Engineers, Territorial Force with service number 443872. He remained with them in Egypt for the duration of the war sailing back from Port Said on March 18, 1919 aboard the HMT Magdelena.
He was discharged from the Army on April 9, 1919 his papers noting that he was sober, intelligent, reliable and industrious. Back in Ashton-under-Lyne he became a civil servant and is said to have helped his old friend Arthur Slater obtain a job at the Labour Exchange.
He married Eleanor (Nellie) Knowles, a felt hat trimmer, in October 1921 and they moved to 23 Clarendon St, Dukinfield.
Sydney Caine died on March 15, 1968, two months after his best friend Arthur Slater. He was 75 years old. Syd’s wife, Nellie, lived to be 94 years old.
Acknowledgements:
Special thanks to Gillian Aldred (née Caine) who provided the Ashton Reporter newspaper article and highlighted the Caine brothers’ Naval Service.