Sydney was born on 22 August 1922 in Leeds, Yorkshire to Michael who was born in Lithuania and worked as a tailors machiner and Leeds born Eva nee Hamburg. Sydney had an older sister Miriam and older brother Myer. In 1939, the family lived at 38 Roseville Terrace in Leeds and Sydney worked as a tailor.

Sydney’s war record states that he died of wounds on 15 March 1944.