Henry Tandey VC, DCM, MM

As his Victoria Cross shining and glimering among his blank eyes, only
one thing that he always think about.

If only.. If only i had known, what he would turn out to be.

When i saw all the people and women and children he had killed and
wounded, i was sorry to God I let him go.
 A little is known about Tendy's past. Born at 30 of August 1891 in
Leamington, Warwickshire, in a hotel. he was the son of a former soldier
whose wife had died early, in their child life. After a while, he spent his time in
an orphanage, and become a boiler attendant at a hotel.

On 12 August 1910, Tendy was enlisted into the Green Howards

Regiment, due to the World War 1, and after basic training, he was posted to
the 2nd Battalion on 23 January 1911, serving with them in Guernsey and
South Africa. In October 1914, he took part in the Battle of Ypres, a battle
fought on Wstern Front around Ypres, in West Flanders, Belgium. The
German French and Belgian armies and the British Expeditionary Force
fought for Ypres itself. The battle happens from 19 October to 22 November
1914, with a total over a hundred casualties, excluding Tendy. But Tendy was
wounded on 24 October 1916, at the battle of somme. The battle of the British
and French empires against the German Empire, and took place between 1
July and 17 November 1916 on both sides of he River Somme in France.
After that, he was posted to the 3rd Battalion on 5 May 1917, moved to the
9th Battalion on 11 June 1917, and shortly, he transferred from the Green
Howards, to the Duke of Wellington's. It is very wonderful, about how an
orphanage child became one of the Duke of Wellington's.

On 28 August 1918, Tendy do something that was very brave and

smart. He was in action to the west with the 5th Battalion, where Tandey was
in charge of one of several bombing parties on the German Trenches. His
action led to the capture of the German positions, and he was awarded the
Distinguished Conduct Medal, or DCM.

He then did something again on 12 September, when the 5th Battalion

was involved in the attack at Havrincourt. He rescued several wounded men
under fire, then the next day he led a bombing party into the German
trenches. This time, he was awarded the Military Medal, on march 13 1919.

At that time Tandey was 27 years old, and he was a private in the 5th
Battalion Duke of Wellington's Regiment. At that day, he performed the action
that made him earned the Victoria Cross. Victoria Cross is the highest award
of the United Kingdom Honours, where it was awarded for the members of the
British army that done his best for United Kingdom. It was a really rare award,
that the action itself must done some great impact to the United Kingdom, for
it is the highest award. For a 27 years old, to be awarded this award was a
very rare and wonderfull thing. What did he done, so that the United Kingdom
gave their most greatest and the highest award for a 27 years old private?

The story begins when Marcoing, France, was on attack. After a brief
time, the British army lend a counter-attack at the canals. But suddenly,
Tendy and his platoon (a squad) was stopped by machine-gun fire. But
suddenly, Tendy crawled forward, located the gun position, and with a squad,
silenced the machine-gun fire. He then reach the canal crossing, and restored
the plank bridge under heavy fire. In the evening, Tendy and his eight
comrades were surrounded by many enemies. It is said that the number of the
enemy itself were overwhelming. But, Tendy led a bayonet charge, and fight
bravely and fiercely, that 37 of the enemies were killed. Although he was
wounded, he refuse to leave, and then the fight was won, and he fainted and
went to the hospital. An eyewitness, a Private H Lister, tell what he sees to
the United Kingdom, and recounted it in the episode:

On 28th September 1918 during the taking of the crossing over the
Canal de St. Quentin at Marcoing, I was No.1 of the Lewis gun team of my
platoon. I witnessed the whole of the gallantry of Private Tandey throughout
the day. Under intensely heavy fire he crawled forward in the village when we
were held up by the enemy MG and found where it was, and then led myself
and comrades with the gun into a house from where we were able to bring
Lewis gun fire on the MG and knock it out of action. Later when we got to the
canal crossings and the bridge was down, Pte Tandey, under the fiercest of
aimed MG fire went forward and replaced planks over the bad part of the
bridge to enable us all to cross without delay, which would otherwise have
ensued. On the same evening when we made another attack we were
completely surrounded by Germans, and we thought the position might be
lost. Pte Tandey, without hesitation, though he was twice wounded very
nastily, took the leading part in our bayonet charge on the enemy, to get clear.
Though absolutely faint he refused to leave us until we had completely
finished our job, collected our prisoners and restored the line.

After that, his VC was given to him on 14 December 1918. This is the citation
that readed in front of him,

No. 34506 Pte. Henry Tandey, D.C.M., M.M., 5th Bn., W. Rid. R. (T.F.)
(Leamington).
For most conspicuous bravery and initiative during the capture of the village
and the crossings at Marcoing, and the subsequent counter-attack on
September 28th, 1918. When, during the advance on Marcoing, his platoon
was held up by machine-gun fire, he at once crawled forward, located the
machine gun, and, with a Lewis gun team, knocked it out. On arrival at the
crossings he restored the plank bridge under a hail of bullets, thus enabling
the first crossing to be made at this vital spot.
Later in the evening, during an attack, he, with eight comrades, was
surrounded by an overwhelming number of Germans, and though the position
was apparently hopeless, he led a bayonet charge through them, fighting so
fiercely that 37 of the enemy were driven into the hands of the remainder of
his company.
Although twice wounded, he refused to leave till the fight was won

28 September, 1918. Tendy was serving the 5th Duke of Wellington's

Regiment, and fighting the German Soldier. After a fierce battle, Tendy found
an enemy soldier, wounded and did not even attempt to raise his riffle. Tendy,
with his kind heart, feels sorry and chose not to kill the soldier. But never he
thought that, the man he encountered, that time, a copral of German soldier,
was Adolf Hitler. Hitler himself kept a clipping about Tendy. When Tendy was
given the Victoria Cross, everybody knew it from the newspaper, and also
Hitler. A painting, a particular of Fortunino Matania, was kept at his place. It
was a painting of the First Battle of Ypres in 1914.

After many of these events, Tendy returned to Leamington in 1940,

and married with a women. His house was bombed by the luftwaffe. After the
bombing, many reporters ask him about German, and his thoughts was:

"If only I had known what he would turn out to be"

"When I saw all the people and women and children he had killed and
wonded I was sorry to God I let him go"

Tandey died in 1977, at the age of 86. He was cremated and his ashes
buried in the Masnieres British Vemetery at Marcoing, France. Henry Tandey
Court, on Union Road in Leamington, is named after him. And a blue plaque
was installed outside the Angel Hotel in Regent Street, where Henry was
born.