🪖  Reclusive, independent, deadpan  🪖

A rather reserved young private, all but miserable in the midst of war.

Cyril is an average sized young man, of regular height and weight. He has an average build, and isn't too muscular. He has a bit of a natural slouch, and is often told off for standing with bad stance. He has pale skin and a long hawk-like nose. When he's cold, or blushing, his nose and tips of his ears go quite pink. He is very rarely seen smiling. He has a stern brow ridge and rather deep-set, chocolate brown eyes with decently long eyelashes. His hair is short but has grown a bit out of its induction cut when he first joined the army. His hair has slightly overgrown sides and back, and a short fringe stems in the middle of his forehead. As to be expected, he is always seen in his standard British Army regulation uniform, wearing a khaki tunic, breeches, puttees, and boots. Often seen wearing a knitted olive scarf and helmet. When in his civilian clothes, he wears typical working-class garb of the time, such as mismatched hand-me-down coats, waistcoats, trousers, and boots, as well as a brown flat cap. He is 5'6".

Cyril is pessimistic, reticent, and easy to upset- and those are his more affable qualities. He is very introverted, and it's hard to even make small talk with him most of the time. He is quite serious and doesn't like anything immature or childish. He's the type who prefers to stay detatched from the world, so as to not emote too much or overwhelm himself. He can be irritated by rather small things. He's a little stubborn about his choices and doesn't really like having to give up things. He can be easily driven by work, and often prefers to spend a day keeping himself busy and distracted rather than doing nothing. Hates being percieved as inexperienced, so sometimes he goes out of his way to prove that he's braver than he looks. He is usually rather unconcerned with making friends or being silly. Hates arguments and never tries to cause a fuss. He has issues with waning self-esteem. He seems to have a lot on his plate and often lets his mind wander into anxiety.

Cyril's story takes place on the Western Front in mid-1916, during the Great War. He is stationed in France, being one of the soldiers in the trenches during the Battle of the Somme.

Cyril was born in Ipswich, East Suffolk, England to a working class family on November 2, 1896. His father, Wilson, was a miner, and his mother, Sarah, was a homemaker. He has three siblings- Mercy (b. 1891), Grace (b. 1893), and Daniel (b. 1894). Cyril is the youngest. His ancestry was based in the small village just above Ipswich, called Henley- hence the family name. Coming from roots in farming, Cyril's parents had migrated down to Ipswich in order to raise a family in a larger town. Cyril's family were followers of the Church of England. Cyril did not particularly care for church, but would attend with the rest of his family.

Cyril's childhood was less than perfect. His parents were rather strict and could be abusive toward him. For this reason, he became reclusive at a young age. When not in school, Cyril spent his days outside reading or drawing. He played with the other boys as well as his siblings, but preferred to be alone. After leaving school aged twelve, Cyril worked at a local factory alongside his older sister, Grace.

Cyril went off in secret to join the army in September 1914. He was going through too much back at home, due to both his parents and his work, and decided the army would be a better choice. He took a train to Bury St. Edmunds, and enlisted there. He lied about his age, saying he was 18, born in February rather than November. He was actually 17. He turned 18 only a short while after, and was already in France by that time, continuing to upkeep the pretense of being a few months older than he really was.

He serves in the 8th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, within the 53rd Brigade, 18th (Eastern) Division, as part of Kitchener's New Army.

(WIP)

• Smokes regularly. Also drinks a lot. Wouldn't be considered a dipsomaniac at the time, but would likely be considered an alcoholic in modern day terms.
• He loses his left ring and pinky finger in combat.
• His zodiac sign is Scorpio, and his lunar zodiac sign is Fire Monkey.
• His faceclaim is Michael Troughton (specifically as Eric Whitlow in the series Backs To The Land), and his voiceclaim is (x). (He would have a somewhat deep, softly-spoken voice. He has a pretty clear "old" Suffolk accent, but he tries to downplay some of his more obvious "broad" pronounciations. His parents have extremely singsong-y "old" Suffolk accents)