Sidney Ellwood

idney Ellwood - or Elly - from Alice Winn's novel In Memoriam, is a young man born into very wealthy British high society in 1898. He is an only child and lived with his mother after his father's death. His mother's family was Jewish, a heritage which he deliberately hides, slicking his black curls back with wax. In the tradition of the British upper class, he was sent off to boarding school at a very young age and spent more time there than he did at home. He is a poet, admiring Alfred, Lord Tennyson most of all and aspiring to go to Oxford. He's very clever, quick-witted and whip-smart, but he has an ungovernable mean streak and can be a bully at times. He can be vain, proud of his looks. He is firmly gay and has been in love with his best friend Henry Gaunt since they met at age thirteen at Preshute College (think Eton-esque), although he doesn't believe his feelings are reciprocated. He intends to marry Gaunt's sister Maud so he can stay close to him when they finish university. When the Great War begins, he's eager to join up to do his part for King and country, though Gaunt - whose family is of German ancestry - is more reluctant. Elly thinks the whole thing will be a great adventure. He and Gaunt ultimately both end up at the front - Gaunt going first and Ellwood following - where their lives are forever changed.