The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 plus 6 letter word MAN FRIDAY
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
M
A
N
F
R
I
D
A
Y
More clues leading to the result MAN FRIDAY
- Assistant in a fascist party cleared in a month
- Islander giving way to woman on Saturday?
- Servant I’d encountered in island battle
- Valet or cook — many afraid to leave midway
- Find Mary with a reformed fellow like Jeeves
- I am a helpful sort as Bradman now and then
- Companion from Italy died in fight on isle
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "I am a helpful sort" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case i am a helpful sort = man friday.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.