Private Sidney Herbert Burfield was born at Bildeston, Suffolk on 4 May 1885 before the family moved to Rutland. Sidney's father was a watch and clock maker and died in 1899 when he was just 43 years old and Sidney was just 14. In 1907 his mother married widower Ben Isitt of Oakham and they lived in Brooke and later Braunston with Sidney's younger siblings. Sidney had become a steward for P&O but while in London in 1906 he enlisted in the army and joined the 1st Battalion Border Regiment. His attestation papers described him as 21 years old, and he had tattoos on his right forearm of clasped hands and an anchor. The 1911 census records him serving with his regiment in Burma, India and the Andaman Islands before fighting in the First World War. He was sent to Gallipoli as part of the 3rd Echelon of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and was killed by a shell on 13 October 1915, aged 30 years. He is buried at Lancashire Landing Cemetery, grave G.101. His is the very first headstone you see as you enter the cemetery. Sidney is also remembered on Brooke's war memorial.

With thanks to Ann Grimmer who has researched all the men from Brooke who died in the First World War. She is the grand-daughter of William Palmer from Langham who also died.