The 12-Year-Old English Boy Who Fought In World War I
Throughout history, there have been regular accounts of exceedingly young people running away to fight during wars
War is undoubtedly terrible for all involved. Such conflict can touch people of all ages as sides can go to extraordinary lengths and sacrifice to gain the upper hand. Particularly in the past, there have been instances where soldiers were exceedingly young. One of the most unusual such cases was that of Sidney Lewis, a 12-year-old native of England who fought for months in World War I before his mother had him tracked him down and forced his return home.
Lasting from 1914–1918, World War I, the first true conflict to span the globe was one of almost impossibly bloody consequences. It’s believed that there may have been in excess of 40 million casualties, including 15–24 million deaths and around 23 million wounded. Countries engaged in the fighting looked for soldiers wherever they could find them as long as they could meet some criteria. While that criteria typically included a minimum age, some were able to get around that by lying about when they were born.
Sidney Lewis appears to have been one of the youngest; just 12 when he signed up for service without his parents consent, presenting himself as an older…
