He was orphaned at the age of six
and lived in Norwood Orphanage, which was the home
for orphaned Jewish children in North London.
He was there until he was 18
but then, as for so many people, the war intruded
and he was called up in 1941.
He joined the RAF and he was seconded
into the Second Tactical Air Force,
which was formed in 1943 made up
of Fighter and Bomber Command units,
and it was intended to serve in support and defense
of army ground forces.
While serving, he became a specialist in codes and ciphers.
He was first posted to RAF Stornaway
on the Island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides
and then landed in Normandy on a tank landing ship
three weeks after D-Day; he and his group followed
General Montgomery's 21st Army Group,
supporting the army in the field
as it advanced through northern France, Holland,
Belgium, and northern Germany.
In 1946 Sidney returned to Britain.
He was demobbed and he returned to the law
and he resumed his articles.
He qualified as a solicitor in 1948
and then he set up his own practice, Avery Midgen & Co.
It still exists under a different name.
He retired in 1969 but went back to work two years later
to become the in-house lawyer
for construction giant Taylor Woodrow
as it began its enormously ambitious project
to revitalize London's Docklands.
In his mid-80s Sidney and his wife emigrated
to California to join their only son.
He died in 2010 at the age of 100.
