MAIDMENT, Sidney Albert

Whether Sidney Albert Maidment had any connection to East Melbourne is dubious. He enlisted under a false name, gave a false place of birth and, it may be assumed, a false place of residence. Certainly he does not appear on the electoral records under either of his names. The reason for all this subterfuge may be simple: in June, 1912, he was convicted of theft, 'having at Boonah, stolen sums of money totalling four pounds 5s 6d, the property of Herbert Blacklock. The defendant pleaded guilty ... he took the money when he was drinking'. He may have believed that he woud be rejected from war service because of his conviction and therefore did his best to conceal his real name and origins. He gave his birth place at Ballarat, though he probably came from NSW; he named his late father as Levi Maidment and there was a death notice for a man of that name, who came from Pyrmont, NSW, in the Sydney Morning Herald of 8 January, 1901. His wife, Bessie, however, was a Ballarat girl and they had married at Scots Church, Ballarat, on 17 March, 190; on the marriage certificate, he nominated himself as coming from Western Australia. The certificate is in the name of Albert Sidney Maidment, although the  wedding notice in The Argus, he is named as Sidney. On enlistment, he nominated his place of residence as East Melbourne, registering under the name of Sidney Ross, but giving as his next of kin his wife, Bessie, living at 67 Patterson St., Middle Park. It is possible, of course, that they may have been separated, but there is no hint of this in the letter she wrote to the army after his death.

Sidney Maidment enlisted as Sidney Ross on 11 August, 1915. He was 37 years old and described himself as a Commercial Traveller, resident in East Melbourne. He was sent for training with B Caompany, 10th Battalion at Ascot Vale, where he remained until 25 November. He was then transferred to H.Q. Company Supplement for three days, then to the Pioneers Battalion, Australian Service Corps Reinforcements. He left Melbourne on 6 March, 1916, on the HMAT Kabinga A58, landing in Egypt on 16 June, where he was transferred via the 'Soong Choon' to Tel-El-Kabir and  attached to Miscellaneous Reinforcements. He stayed until August and was then sent from Alexandria to England, travelling on the Franconia. Once in England, he was attached to the Australian Service Corps Depot at Parkhouse.Here he committed the first 'crime' on 15 October, failing to answer the defaulters' call because he was drunk. He was transferred to the 3rd Divisional Train, taken on strength from the Parkhouse Training Depot, and sent overseas to France from Southampton.

Here he was attached to the 1st Anzac Entrenching Column on 19 December and stayed with them until February, 1917, when he was transferred again, this time back to the 3rd Australian Division Train, employed as a Driver in moving suppplies from railway depots to Divisional Depots and thence to the troops. By February, however, he had reverted back to being a Private, although no reason was given on his record. On 5 May, he was charged with using improper language to an Non-Commissioned Officer and again, on 9 June, of disobeying an order ' prejudicial to good order and military discipline'. Given the circumstances under which troops were living and working, it is not surprising that occasionally men lost their tempers or refused an order, especially given Sidney Maidment's age - he was by now nearly forty and had been delivering equipment and supplies to the divisionla depots through the German Spring Offensive at Ypres.

He was given leave to the United Kingdom on 15 December 1917, rejoining his unit on 5 January, 1918. Again, he was working with the 3rd Divisional Train. In March, he was charged again, this time with disobeying orders in not unloading a bag of coke from a lorry when ordered to do so. He was transferred from the 3rd Australian Divisional Train and moved over to the 3rd Australian Division Motor Transport Company where he remained until July.  On 4 July, 1918, he was taken ill and sent to the No. 5  General Hospital at Rouen, suffering from a carbuncle on his neck. He died  two days later 'of disease' and was buried at St. Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen, Seine Maritime, France. He is listed No. 145 in the Roll of Honour cards at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, and his name is listed on Panel 181 of the Commemorative Area.