Soldier Record

Victor Siddons served as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1/4th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment (162nd Brigade, 54th Division) before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps based on the Sinai front, July 1915 - February 1917, and then with X Flight RFC in the Hejaz, February 1917 - October 1918. He was promoted to Captain, May 1918, and took command of the Flight the following month. Cooperating with the Arabs in the sabotage campaign against the Turks inevitably brought him into service with T. E. Lawrence.

Myrtle Cottage

Hyth

Southampton

26.4.1932

Dear Siddons,

Donibristle (where I only stayed a few days, to hand over a new type of R.A.F. motor boat) sent me on your note a day or two ago. Surely you must be the Siddons? I note the D.F.C. rather incongruously upon your cloth... and some half-forgotten word years ago, told me you had been ordained.

It must be strange, from the safety of a ministry to look back upon Akaba. My path has been less progressive. Today I am an airman of ten years standing, but only an A.C.I. for all that. My job is over-seeing the building of boats for the service at a boat yard here. I have been a year on the job, living in this cottage near the works, as a billet. I prefer life in camp where there are others to rub up with.

How are you? I am sorry that we missed.

Yours T.E. Shaw (T.E. Lawrence)

Victor Siddons flew T.E. Lawrence three times and once preformed a daring landing in order to rescue him form a Turkish raid. He received the DFC and many other decorations during his time fighting in World War One before returning to England to finish his training as a Methodist Army Chaplain. In the Second World War he was Deputy Assistant Chaplain-General to the British Land Forces in Greece, December 1944 - October 1945.

Text published by the BBC with permission from the soldier's relatives and the Imperial War Museum.