F/O Siddell was a pilot, who was part of a contingent of 59 Sqdn aircrews that flew Lockheed Hudsons to the Far East, Sumatra. It is unknown at this stage, who his crew were.

After the fall of Java, it appears that Siddell was taken prisoner by the Japanese and became a P.O.W. It has been stated by two 59 Sqdn members (Ian Robinson and Hubert Birks) who were both in Java, that Siddell was executed for trying to escape. Birks adds that he (and two Australians) had attempted to steal a plane.

He is commemorated in The Jakarta War Cemetery.

According to Hubert Birks, there were two 59 Sqdn crews operating out of Kaldjati aerodrome in late Feb 1942. His crew (P/O Smith - pilot) and that of F/O Siddell. The later had their a/c shot up and the instruments panel rendered unserviceble by Dutch Ack-Ack. Siddell managed to fly the a/c for 6 hours in the dark on trimming controls only and return to base where he made a successful belly landing with safety...

"A truly remarkable effort by F/O Siddell - a great fellow indeed!"